Architects of the Rebellion
by MrThreeCats
Summary: The kids of Tokyo are sick of being oppressed by their corrupt government, but can they make a difference or are they too preoccupied with fighting amongst each other? A reimagining set in the world of Jet Set Radio Future.
1. Chapter 1 – A Prologue

**Chapter 1 – A Prologue**

The year is 2024; the city is Tokyo.

Located in the heart of Japan, Tokyo is the culture capital of Asia. No other city in the continent has the diversity in fashion, music, and art that Tokyo does. From the bustling streets of the Shibuya district, to the bright neon skyscrapers of the Benten district, and even hidden somewhere in the smokestacks and murky sewers of the Kogane district, Tokyo oozes style out of every corner.

However, what was once a prosperous city is now a shell of its former self. Rokkaku Shigetsugu, Tokyo's previous mayor, passed away nearly a decade ago and his son, Rokkaku Gouji, swiftly took over. Using funds that he embezzled from his father's government, he formed his own government agency: the Rokkaku Group. Gouji uses his corrupt organization to influence the city's industry and culture for his own gain. Desiring profit and power over anything else, he passes laws that bring more money into his pockets and stamps down on anyone who doesn't toe the line. Over time, the formerly peaceful city of Tokyo became a city whose people live in fear of an oppressive government. To prevent any attempts at a revolt, Gouji bought out Tokyo's police force and turned them into his own private military, threatening protesters into obedience.

Gouji hasn't been able to silence everyone though. Fueled by their oppressive government, there exist groups of rebellious kids who've chosen to fight back against the Rokkaku Group in their own unique way. These kids—who call themselves Rudies—have taken to wearing inline skates and spraying colourful graffiti all around the city. They feel that this is one of the few remaining ways they're able to express their individuality. However, incapable of doing anything to fight against their government's stranglehold, they've formed separate gangs and begun fighting against each other in attempts to claim and expand their own turf.

Not trusting of state-funded news networks, many underground pirate radio stations have cropped up for the Rudies and other dissenters to tune into. The most popular station is called Jet Set Radio, hosted by a man named DJ Professor K. Nobody knows who or where he is, but Professor K can be trusted to supply the Rudies with information on happenings all around the city, from police shakedowns to gang activities. With his cool voice and cooler sounds, Professor K became a sort of guiding light to all the Rudies.

Now, years after rising to power, Gouji has become apathetic with his position and is searching for something that will stimulate his interests. Feeling that Tokyo's growth has become stagnant, Gouji set out to improve the city's infrastructure. He shut down the Tokyo Line railway, recognizing that it had become outdated, and began work on a new transit system. However, this new system has yet to surface and now the citizens of Tokyo are left without any high-speed methods of transportation. Gouji also recognized the need for new residential areas. However, he built these areas in Kogane—a district known for its pollution and decrepit infrastructure. It seems that even in Gouji's attempts to improve the city, he does more harm than good. Perhaps realizing this, Gouji has announced the Rokkaku Expo where he is preparing to announce his new ambitious plans for the future of Tokyo.

Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see how he could possibly make things even worse.


	2. Chapter 2 – Wheels In Motion

_**~Act One~**_

 **Chapter 2 – Wheels In Motion**

It was noon. The red-haired boy had slept in, as usual. He got up out of bed and walked to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk. His parents didn't seem to be home. Now was the perfect opportunity.

Finishing his glass of milk, he returned to his room and threw off his pyjamas in exchange for his favourite clothes: a lemon-lime-coloured T-shirt with black sleeves and a pair of black pants. He also put on his blue sunglasses and a pair of black gloves. He grabbed his wallet and peeked inside—not much cash but it'd do—before stuffing it into his back pocket. He looked around his room to see if there was anything else he should bring with him. Right, his headphones and portable MP3 player; couldn't forget those. He wore his headphones over his ears and shoved his MP3 player into his pocket before walking out his bedroom door.

He had thought about it for a long time; should he really run away from home? He was only seventeen, but living with his parents had been a miserable experience. Part of it was his own fault though. His parents considered him to be a delinquent ever since he dropped out of school and they never had any praise to give him. Maybe that's what he deserved. He hadn't accomplished anything of note in his life, but that's why he thought he should try a change of direction. Was this too drastic of a change though? For what it's worth, his parents always wanted him to move out of the house so he figured he'd be doing them a favour. Still, he had nowhere else to go. No friends whose house he could crash at, no money to rent a cheap hole he could live in, nothing. He was never good at thinking ahead. He'd always just go wherever life took him and things usually turned out okay. He was sure he'd find somewhere to stay, somehow.

Walking up to the front door, he grabbed his pair of inline skates and strapped them to his feet. They were his main method of transportation. His parents called him a good-for-nothing kid, but if he was good at anything it was skating. He had lots of free time to practice; not only did he drop out of school but he also couldn't keep a job for longer than a month. Skating was the only thing he really found enjoyment of in life, other than music.

He stepped through his front door. It was a warm spring day; perfect for running away from home. Descending down his front steps for the last time and opening the front gate, he turned to take one last look at the home he had been living in his entire life. Maybe he would return someday, but hopefully not out of necessity. He set his MP3 player to his favourite playlist and skated off.

* * *

The streets of Shibuya were alive with the sounds of passing cars and pedestrians. Numerous shops carrying the latest trendy items lined the streets where passers-by would window-shop on their way to their destination. The line of shops stretched far down the road, the horizon blocked by more tall buildings.

Shibuya was the red-haired boy's favourite district to skate around. It was his neighbourhood so it made sense for him to stick to the area so that he was never too far from home. Of course, now he no longer had a home so he could skate as far away as he wanted to. Regardless, it's the area he's most familiar with and he had nowhere else to be so he decided to continue hanging around there for a while longer.

Skating by, he noticed some graffiti on a wall. He didn't recall seeing it there the last time he skated down this road so it must be a recent piece. It seemed to be covering up another tag underneath it. _Must be some sort of tag war going on between Rudie gangs,_ he thought to himself. He had never gotten involved with any other Rudies despite himself being an avid skater as well. Now that he's homeless though, maybe he should consider it. He'd never actually come across any of the gangs himself though and he knew little about them. He didn't even begin to know where he could find any of them.

Turning a corner, he spotted his local record shop. Having nothing better to do, he decided to check it out. He entered the shop and began to browse their shelves. One of the store employees gave him a stern look—likely because he came into the shop with his skates still on—but he paid them no mind. He continued browsing until he found something that caught his eye. He picked up a record off of one of the shelves. _Hey, this is the new album by that one folk band I've been hearing on the radio lately. And it's on vinyl, too._ Despite not having a record player anymore, he was interested in buying the record to add to his (no-longer-existing) collection. Reaching into his back pocket and looking into his wallet, it was clear to him that he couldn't afford it. _Damn,_ he thought.

However, another idea sprang to his mind. He made his way over to the entrance of the store. _Man, I probably shouldn't do this._ The employee that gave him a look earlier spoke out to him, "Hey, you can pay for that over here." No time to change his mind. He quickly darted out of the entrance with the record in hand. The employee quickly ran out of the store and shouted at him, catching the attention of two nearby cops. The cops caught a look of him as he was skating away and quickly chased after him, calling out for him to stop. _Dammit, why did those cops have to be standing there?_ Now it was really too late to change his mind.

The red-haired boy skated around the corner, the cops hot on his tail. _This is bad, this is bad._ He had to lose the cops, and fast. He continued skating down the sidewalk, but weaving around pedestrians was slowing him down and giving the cops an opportunity to catch up. He curved into a nearby alleyway, hoping that it would throw off the cops. Unfortunately for him, the cops had spotted him enter the alleyway and were still chasing after him. Now his only choice was to continue down the alleyway and hope that it would lead him somewhere safe.

He was approaching the end of the alleyway. Looking behind him, he could see the two cops falling further behind. _I might actually make it out of this!_ Just as he exited the shadows of the alleyway, he crashed into someone else at full-speed and they both fell to the ground.

The red-haired boy sat up and looked at the person he had just skated into. It was a girl; another skater, in fact. She was wearing a light beige dress with aqua-coloured hems and a blueish grey helmet. Underneath her helmet the boy could see some short blonde hair.

The boy got to his feet and brushed the dirt off of his pants. "Hey, watch where you're going!" he yelled at her.

"Me?" the girl replied, getting to her feet as well. "Ever thought of slowing down when leaving an alleyway?"

The boy was about to yell a retort back at the girl when he spotted more cops approaching from behind her. She must be getting chased by the cops as well, he deduced. Likewise, the girl looked into the alleyway and saw the two cops who were chasing after the boy running towards them. They both looked at each other, acknowledging that they were in the same predicament, and skated off in the same direction.

* * *

The boy and girl stopped to catch their breath after they were sure that they had evaded the cops. After resting for a moment, they continued skating side by side down the sidewalk and struck a conversation with each other.

"So, what were they chasing _you_ for?" the girl asked the boy.

"Oh, I stole a record from a shop," the boy replied. "The cops were practically waiting for me right outside the store. Just my luck, eh?"

The girl snorted. "And I take it you dropped it?"

The boy looked at his hands, just then realizing that he was no longer holding the record. "Dammit, I must have dropped it when they were chasing me."

"Or maybe when you bumped into me," the girl remarked.

"Shit, you're probably right," he said. "Great, all of that crap for nothing." He quickly shook it off. "Oh well, I guess I ain't showing my face in _that_ shop ever again. So, what were the cops chasing _you_ for?"

"They caught me tagging a building," the girl replied. "A shame I never got to finish the piece."

The boy recalled the tag he had seen earlier. Was she responsible for that one too?

"So, I take it you're a Rudie then," he surmised.

"Yep," the girl replied. "My name's Gum."

"Gum?" The boy snickered. "Did your parents really name you that?"

Gum rolled her eyes. "I take it _you're_ not a Rudie then. _Obviously_ it's not my birth name; it's just a nickname. Almost every Rudie has one."

"Well that makes more sense," he said. "You're not a fan of using your real name or something?"

"Most Rudies would rather forget about their past," Gum replied. "Abandoning our birth names helps with that. As far as we're concerned, Gum _is_ my name now."

"You couldn't make your name something a bit more… normal?" he asked. "Why go with something weird like 'Gum?'"

"A little bit of individuality never hurt anyone," Gum replied. "If you're gonna change the name that you go by, why not choose something unique?"

"I never thought about it like that. I guess I could use a nickname, too." The boy tried to think of a nickname for himself.

Gum turned her head and looked at him for a moment. "How about 'Beat?'"

"Beat?"

"Yeah. You've already got the clothes to go along with it." Gum pointed at the boy's shirt where the word _Beat_ was printed on in Japanese script.

"Oh, yeah," he noticed. He thought about it for a moment. "'Beat', huh? I kinda like the sound of that."

"It's settled then," Gum declared. "From now on you're gonna go by the name of 'Beat.'"

"It's gonna take some time for me to get used to it, and I guess this means I'm a Rudie now too," he realized.

"Did you just run away from home or something?" Gum asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I didn't really plan things out though so all of this is just kind of happening to me."

"I'm guessing you've got nowhere to go then," Gum reckoned. "You know, me and friend of mine have a hideout where we both live. You're welcome to stay there too if you want."

"Seriously? That'd be great!" It seemed that luck had saved him yet again. "Are you sure there's enough room for me to stay there?"

"Trust me, we've got plenty of room," Gum smirked. "You'll see when we get there. It's not that far, just follow me."

The boy, now known as Beat, was glad that he had serendipitously ran into Gum. She led the way as they both skated towards the hideout.


	3. Chapter 3 – Check In

**Chapter 3 – Check In**

Gum led Beat through an alleyway surrounded by tower cranes adorning buildings that were seemingly abandoned before construction could be completed. Beat began to wonder what this supposed hideout would look like. Were Gum and her friend sleeping on girders? Beat supposed that whatever their hideout is will be better than sleeping on the streets.

"We're here," informed Gum as they skated into an opening. Beat gazed at the large courtyard that made up the hideout, somehow existing in the middle of an abandoned construction zone. In the center of the courtyard was an overhead walkway and a separate overhead platform with two couches and a record player placed on top. Surrounding the platform were large speakers playing music at an unsuitably modest volume. The perimeter of the courtyard was lined with ground walkways and what appeared to be a makeshift halfpipe. Other bizarre decorations located around the courtyard included a pinball machine, a punching bag with Rokkaku Gouji's ugly mug attached to it, billboards advertising restaurants, a large U.F.O. model situated high at the top of a pole, and a pile of garbage that contained such assortments as a broken-down car and satellite dishes. Connected to the courtyard perimeter was an entrance to an overpass that was seemingly closed off and no longer in use. Another stairway on the perimeter led to another exit.

" _Holy shit!_ " Beat exclaimed. " _This_ is your hideout? This place is amazing. How the hell did you find it?"

"Ask my friend; he's the one who found it," Gum replied. "He should be around here." Gum looked around the courtyard for her friend until she spotted him sleeping on a couch at the top of the platform. "That's him. Let me introduce you two to each other."

Gum walked up the stairs leading to the top of the platform and shook him awake. "Hey, what are you doing sleeping during the day?"

Gum's friend was startled to be awoken so abruptly. "What? I was just taking a nap," he said, sounding disgruntled. "You got a problem with that?"

"We have a guest," Gum said, gesturing towards Beat. Beat joined them at the top of the platform.

"Uh, hi," Beat introduced himself. "I'm, uhh… I'm Beat. This is a sick hideout you guys got."

Gum's friend sat up as Beat approached him. He was wearing an unzipped grey jacket with a yellow shirt underneath it, as well as teal-coloured pants with pixelated flame decals on the cuffs and a pair of grey gloves. Naturally, he was wearing a pair of skates too. What stood out the most however was his unusually tall teal-coloured hat hiding much of his blond hair. "Thanks. The name's Corn, and yeah, this place is pretty sweet. We call it the Garage."

Gum proceeded to explained the situation: "Beat doesn't have anywhere else to go and I figured he could stay here with us. Is that cool?"

"So, you brought a new member for our gang, eh?" Corn inferred.

"A gang?" Beat exclaimed. "You guys are part of a gang?"

"We _are_ the gang, and I'm the leader," Corn replied. "You can stay here but that'll make you a member of our gang, the GGs. Them's the rules, and frankly that's the only rule I enforce around here. Besides that, you're free to do what you want."

"Then what's the point of having your own gang?" Beat asked him.

"You can't claim any turf if you don't have a gang," Corn answered. "Gum and I own parts of the Shibuya district. That means that we're free to skate around that turf without any other gangs messing with us, although that doesn't stop them from trying. And the cops certainly don't acknowledge Rudie turf."

Beat still wasn't sure about this gang business, but he managed to actually find a cool place to stay and he didn't want to pass that up. "Alright, count me in. I'll join you guys."

"Sweet, welcome to the GGs," Corn welcomed him. "If you have any other questions, feel free to ask."

Beat did have one question that was on his mind: "Uhh, where exactly will I be sleeping? I only see two couches here."

"Oh, we don't sleep on these couches," Gum explained. "This place isn't just a cool courtyard; it was actually going to be a luxury hotel owned and managed by the Rokkaku Group. For whatever reason they abandoned this place, but not before finishing construction and furnishing most of the hotel rooms."

"Wow, really?" Beat exclaimed. "Why the hell would they abandon this place after all that work they put into it?"

"Shibuya doesn't need any more hotels," Gum answered. "Gouji probably realized that this place wouldn't get much business and left it here to rot instead of sinking more money into it."

"But does he not care that you guys took over the place?" Beat asked them.

"He's probably _happy_ that we're living here because it means less kids sleeping on the sidewalk for everyone to see," Corn surmised. "It's not like he has any use for it."

Beat continued to marvel at the Garage. "Damn, talk about lucky. This place is better than the deal I got at my parents' place! Well, other than that pile of garbage."

"Hey," Corn retorted. "You never know when any of that stuff might come in handy."

"Don't mind the trash; Corn is a bit of a hoarder," Gum teased. "Anyway, before you get too comfortable, I'd better give you a lesson on what being a Rudie is all about. The GGs might not have any rules but that doesn't mean that you should go around and mess with the other gangs for fun. If you don't obey the rules of the streets then you'll end up getting yourself in deep trouble with the other gangs."

"Yeah yeah, I'm not stupid," Beat said. He had only joined their gang to get a place to stay, not to partake in turf wars.

Corn stood up from the couch and began approaching the record player. "One more thing: do you ever listen to Jet Set Radio?"

"Uhh, I can't say I've ever heard of it," Beat replied. "I'm not that deep into Rudie stuff."

"Well I'm sure Gum will tell you everything you need to know, but for now let me tell you about Jet Set Radio." Corn rested his hand on the record player. "Most of the time the station just plays sick tunes, but everyday around noon DJ Professor K comes on the air and talks about everything that went on in the streets in the last day. Gang battles, police activities, shady government crap; you name it. This guy sees everything, and that's why all the Rudies listen in to get the lowdown on what's going down. Get used to tuning in every morning with the rest of us."

"I will, assuming I don't sleep in," Beat replied. "Is today's lesson over now?"

"Not quite," Gum responded. "We still have to show you around our turf and talk about other stuff that's going on."

"Gum can continue the lesson on her own," Corn said, laying back down on the couch. "I'd like to finish my nap, thank you very much."

Gum rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Come on, Beat. I'll show you around." She hopped off the platform. "I'm assuming you're not also a newbie when it comes to skating."

"Yeah right!" Beat smirked as he followed her lead and jumped off right behind her. They both left the Garage together as Corn began to doze off again.

* * *

Beat and Gum returned to the city streets of Shibuya. Beat was a bit nervous that those cops who were chasing them earlier might still be around, but Gum didn't seem to be worried about it so he put on a brave face.

"This area is Dogenzaka Hill, although I'm sure you're familiar with the place," Gum told him. "This place is GGs turf and the other gangs don't usually mess with it."

"I saw a tag around here earlier. I'm guessing that was one of yours," Beat inquired.

"Probably," Gum answered. "Sometimes there'll be other Rudies spraying their tags around here just to mess with us, but we usually teach them a good lesson."

They skated down a long avenue while Gum continued to lecture Beat. "We've been trying to expand our turf into the bus terminal but some other gangs have been getting in the way of that."

"Like how?" Beat asked.

"Well, there's two gangs that have been giving us a hard time," Gum explained. "First, there's the Love Shockers. They're an all-girls gang whose turf is on Hikage Street."

"That sketchy place? No wonder they want to expand their turf," Beat quipped.

"No kidding. We've been in a tag war with them for a while now, but none of us seem to be making any progress."

"I'm not much of an artist so I don't think you'd want my ugly tags all around town," Beat admitted.

"Hey, it's easy to learn. Remind me to give you a crash course on spraying graffiti," Gum offered.

"Deal. So what about that second gang?"

"Oh, then there's the Hell Bikers," Gum continued. "I don't even know if those guys have any turf of their own, they just like driving their bikes around the streets of Shibuya and messing with any other Rudies they see."

"Bikers? Aren't all Rudies supposed to be skaters?" Beat asked.

"Well, I guess the definition of the word Rudie is a bit loose," Gum reckoned. "For all intents and purposes, we just call them Rudies."

Gum led Beat into a nearby plaza. "Hey, let me show you something." Beat followed her as she made her way over to a bronze statue of woman in a dress standing with one of her arms held up high. "You know about this thing?" Gum asked, motioning to the statue.

"What, the statue?" Beat had seen it before but never paid much attention to it.

"Yeah. They call it the Goddess," Gum explained. "Legend has it that it's supposed to bring good luck to the people of Shibuya. I don't believe in that crap but it's still a nice statue. It's kinda the pride of Dogenzaka Hill, and since this place is our turf we like to think that it's our job to take care of it. Sounds a bit silly, I know."

"Nah, I get it." Beat didn't believe in superstitions either but he still recognized the importance of the Goddess and why it had to be protected.

"Hey, you hungry?" Gum asked him. "We could get some food around here. I mean, the lesson's pretty much over for today."

Beat felt his stomach grumble. He hadn't eaten all day and he could sure go for a bite. "I'm down. Where to?"

"How about one of these nearby vendors?" Gum suggested. "They're probably selling something good.

They both skated towards the nearby food vendors and glanced at what foods they had to offer. Beat liked all of the food that he saw, but not any of the prices. "800 yen takoyaki? That's crazy!"

Gum didn't seem enthusiastic about any of the food vendors either. "How about we just go to a burger place instead?"

* * *

Beat and Gum sat opposite to each other with their food at a local burger joint. Beat rested his feet on the table which prompted Gum to shift her and her food away from his dirty skates.

"So, how long have you and Corn known each other?" Beat asked Gum while shoving mouthfuls of fries into his mouth.

"We've known each other for almost a year now," she replied. "Since before either of us were even Rudies."

"How did you two meet then?" Beat inquired while taking a sip of his drink.

"We met last summer during the school break," Gum explained. "We became good friends and… well, needless to say I never went back to school."

"What made you want to become a Rudie?" Beat asked.

"Is this an interrogation or something? I don't wanna talk about my past. I ran away from home to forget about it all."

"What's the big deal?" Beat asked her, taking his feet off the table. "Is it that hard just to talk about it?"

"Kinda, so drop it."

Beat didn't understand why Gum wasn't willing to talk about her past but he decided that it wasn't worth probing her about. They both continued eating their food in silence. Beat found the silence to be uncomfortable so he eventually asked her another question. "So, what do you think of Rokkaku Gouji?"

"Did you really have to bring up his name while I'm trying to eat?" Gum quipped.

"I figured you didn't like him. I mean, isn't the whole point of being a Rudie to rebel against the government?"

"Maybe that's what it was originally, but not anymore." Gum elaborated further: "I mean, would you want the Rokkaku Police on your ass at all times? They come after us just for skating around. I don't wanna know what they'd do to us if we tried to protest against the government."

"Yeah, that would be pretty stupid," Beat agreed.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love to give that guy a nice kick to the face," Gum clarified. "But we're just kids, and that guy's got a whole army of cops on his side." She grabbed her drink and was about to take a sip but she continued, "That's why I stick to messing with other Rudies. Much safer, and we can actually get shit done."

One of the workers at the burger joint approached them and interrupted their conversation. "Excuse me, we're gonna have to ask you to leave."

"We're not done eating yet though," Beat said to the worker.

"You're both disturbing the other customers so we're asking you to leave," the employee told them. "Thank you."

Beat and Gum looked at each other and realized that it wasn't worth starting an argument with the worker. They both got up and left the establishment with their food still at the table.

Outside, the air was getting cooler and the sun was beginning to set. The streets were jam-packed with traffic as people began to return home after a long work day. Beat wondered if his parents had discovered that he'd left yet. _They probably just think I'm out skating and will be back soon._ Beat didn't want to think too much about his parents anymore.

"So, what did you learn today?" Gum asked Beat as they began skating back to the Garage.

"Nothing I didn't already know," Beat replied. "People hate Rudies, Gouji's a dick, and takoyaki is getting expensive."

Gum chuckled. "I'm glad what I said wasn't lost on you."

As they skated on the sidewalk, the deep rumblings of motorcycle engines could be heard in distance.

"Oh, great…" Gum muttered as she slowed down.

The sounds of motorcycle engines was getting louder. Beat turned to face the direction the noise was coming from and spotted three motorcycles heading their way. "Don't tell me that those are—"

"Yep," Gum quickly answered. "Well, I guess this can be your final lesson for the day."

The Hell Bikers stopped next to the two of them and began to taunt them by revving their engines. They were three middle-aged men, each wearing identical clothes: orange motorcycle helmets, black jackets with flame decals over yellow shirts, matching red ties and motorcycle gloves, and black pants.

"Get lost," Gum barked at them.

The Hell Bikers laughed together. "We'll get lost when we _feel_ like it," one of them said. He looked over at Beat. "So, is this guy your new boyfriend or something?"

" _No!_ " Beat and Gum both exclaimed. They looked at each other awkwardly.

The Hell Bikers continued to laugh. "Good. A girl as fine as you deserves better than that greasy punk."

"Hey, who are you calling a greasy punk?" Beat snapped at them.

"Heh, you guys are too easy to mess with." The Hell Bikers revved their bikes again before finally taking off, their engines still clearly audible in the distance.

"Man, what's with those guys?" Beat asked Gum, still irritated.

"That's what they do; ride around Shibuya making noise and harass any woman that catches their eyes." Gum replied, frustrated as well. " _Perverts._ They don't even spray graffiti or get into turf wars with any gangs. They just mess with us for fun."

"What a bunch of jerks," Beat snarled.

"Forget about them, let's just head back," Gum said. "I hope Corn won't be mad to hear that we didn't bring him back any food."

Beat remembered why he never wanted to get involved with any gangs. There was no point in turning back on the GGs now though. Besides, Gum and Corn seemed like cool people. For someone who ran away from home on a whim, he made out pretty damn well.

The two of them continued on their way back to the Garage as the sun began to fall below the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4 – Paint the Backdrop

**Chapter 4 – Paint the Backdrop**

Beat woke up the next day in his new room at the Garage. It was weird to wake up in a place he wasn't used to. He sat up on his bed and looked around the room; maybe "luxury" was a bit too generous but it was certainly a nice room. His bed was comfy enough and he even got his own private bathroom. No TV though; they must not have finished furnishing the rooms. Oh well, it's not like he was paying for the room.

Beat stood up and put on his shirt and skates. He exited his room and went outside where he found Corn sitting on one of the couches. Beat approached him and asked him what's up.

"Man, you really _do_ sleep in," Corn quipped. "You missed today's Jet Set Radio broadcast."

"Oh, sorry about that," Beat replied, still unsure of what the big deal was with Jet Set Radio. "So, is anything interesting going on?"

"Nah, just the same old stuff," Corn answered. "Apparently the Hell Bikers were causing some commotion the other day."

"Yeah, me and Gum ran into them. Those guys are a bunch of punks." Beat looked around the Garage. "Where's Gum, anyway?"

"She's out skating," Corn answered. "Doing the daily rounds around Shibuya."

"Cool." Beat sat down on the couch next to Corn. "So, you're the leader, eh? How'd that happen?"

"Well, it was either gonna be me or Gum."

"It must have been tough convincing Gum to let you be the leader, eh?" Beat joked.

"Nah, she actually _insisted_ that I be the leader," Corn mentioned.

"Really?" Beat was surprised. Who would forfeit the leader position that easily? He became curious of Corn and Gum's history. "How did you two meet anyway?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Corn deflected the conversation.

"Why not?" Beat asked him.

"Rudies usually don't like talking too much about their past," Corn told him. "I'm no different."

Beat found it odd that both Corn and Gum weren't willing to talk about their pasts, especially regarding how they met. He wondered what it was that they wanted to keep a secret.

Just then, Gum hurried back into the Garage. She shouted, panicking: "Guys, come quick!"

Corn quickly stood up from the couch. "What's wrong?" he asked her sternly, sensing her distress.

"It's the Goddess of Dogenzaka Hill!" she yelled with an urgency in her voice. "It's gone!"

* * *

Beat, Corn, and Gum all skated to the plaza in Dogenzaka Hill where the Goddess previously stood. The area was surrounded by police so they kept their distance, but they could clearly see that the statue was missing.

"What could have happened to it?" Beat wondered.

"I bet it was either the Love Shockers or Hell Bikers that did something to it," Gum speculated.

"If the Hell Bikers did it we probably would have heard their engines from a mile away," Corn figured.

"Maybe they did it at night," Beat suggested.

"If they did, DJ Professor K would have found out about it in time for today's broadcast," Corn rationalized. "It had to have happened just a few hours ago."

"So it _must_ have been the Love Shockers," Gum deduced. "Those punks are gonna pay for this."

Corn heard someone approaching them from behind. He turned around to see another Rudie skating up to them. The woman had short snow-white hair and tanned skin with striking blue lips. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt and beige cargo pants along with a checkerboard-patterned yellow scarf.

"Hey, you guys are the GGs, right?" the woman asked them.

"Yeah. What do you want?" Corn responded.

"I see you've noticed that the Goddess is missing. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" the woman interrogated them.

"We just found out about it right now," Gum answered. "We know about as much as you do."

"Dogenzaka Hill is GGs turf though. Surely you guys would have noticed it before anyone else," the woman contended. "You guys aren't hiding something, are you?"

"You think _we've_ got something to do with it?" Corn asked the woman, offended by her accusation. "The Goddess was on our turf, why would we do anything to it's disappearance? You wanna go search our hideout or something?"

"No thanks," the woman replied.

"Don't worry," Beat assured the woman. "We're gonna find out who messed with the Goddess and teach them a lesson."

The woman rolled her eyes. "You gangs are all the same. Wasting your time fighting each other when you could be doing something better with your time. They all claim to hate Gouji for suppressing their individuality, but then they go around wearing matching outfits and spraying identical graffiti everywhere."

"In case you haven't noticed, us GGs aren't like that," Corn informed the woman. "I let my members do whatever they want."

"You GGs are certainly one of the better gangs regarding that," the woman admitted. "But you're still too preoccupied with meaningless turf wars when there are more important things you should be fighting for."

"What do you expect us to do, go after Gouji and get ourselves killed?" Gum snapped. "We're not crazy!"

The woman shook her head. "You GGs are no different from the rest. You act tough against the other gangs but when it comes to the real authority you're cowards." She turned around and skated off.

Beat and Gum were visibly annoyed by what the woman said to them. "What's that girl's deal?" Beat said.

"Forget about her," Corn told them. "She's an idealist who has no idea how things work in the real world. She thinks a couple of kids can take on the freaking government? Then that makes _her_ the crazy one."

They stood there silent for a moment before Beat spoke up again: "Uhh… anyway, what are we gonna do about the statue?"

"We've been too soft on the Love Shockers," Gum realized. "We've just been exchanging small jabs at each other. We've got to hit them _hard_ this time."

"So what's the plan?" Beat asked her.

"What do you think?" Gum responded sarcastically. "Because _I_ think it's time for those spray-painting lessons I promised you."

* * *

Somewhere else in Shibuya, a Rudie was slowly skating down the street, window shopping through clothing stores. Something caught his eye as he skated past a particular store. He peered through the store window, resting his hands on the glass.

"Oh man," the boy said out loud to himself in his naturally high-pitched voice, "I can't afford any of this stuff. And that t-shirt looks killer, yo."

The boy looked at his reflection on the glass. He was wearing a teal-coloured hoodie with the hood down and an orange strap resting diagonally across his chest, as well as dark-brown cargo shorts and fingerless gloves. The only thing stylish about his looks were his bright green hair and red sunglasses.

The boy continued skating down the sidewalk. "Why does everything on Chuo Street have to be so expensive?"

Chuo Street, located in the center of Shibuya, was the fashion district of Tokyo. High-end clothing stores lined the streets, preying on shoppers who have plenty of money to spend. If an outfit could be seen at a shop on Chuo Street, you could be sure that it was part of the latest fashion trends. It's even common for people who can't afford the prices to walk down Chuo Street just to get a peek at the apparel. These shops are often held in high regard which helps maintain the district's trendsetter status.

The boy looked away from the stores to check his watch. "I'd better head back before I miss my bus. My stupid parents will kill me if I'm late again."

The boy began to make his way to the Shibuya bus terminal. _I wish I were rich,_ the boy thought to himself. _Rich people are lucky. They get to do whatever they want, meanwhile I'm stuck listening to my bossy parents. I wish I could just get away from my folks._

The boy himself wasn't the best-behaved. He enjoyed causing mischief, much to the chagrin of his parents. The boy didn't realize how much trouble he would cause his parents, or rather, he didn't care. He was too young to understand what raising a child is like, so he would often lash out at them for imposing even the smallest rules onto him. He felt that his latest "punishment" — an early curfew — was the last straw. He decided that he would run away from home, ignoring the comfort and amenities that living with his parents gave him. Nevertheless, he began researching Rudie culture in the hopes that he'd be able to join one of the Rudie gangs once he finally decided to run away from home.

The boy arrived at the bus terminal. He approached his bus stop when he noticed three skaters running around and spray-painting building walls. _Whoa, what are those guys up to?_ They looked to be around his age so he decided to approach one of them.

Beat was tagging a wall when he noticed the boy approach him. _What does this kid want?_ he thought. He continued spraypainting.

The boy stopped next to Beat and began watching him. After being stared at for a few seconds, Beat grew uncomfortable so he decided to speak up: "Hey kid, what the hell do you want?"

"Yo, whatcha up to?" the boy asked him. "Causing trouble?"

"Yeah, so beat it," Beat shot back, continuing his tag. "We're sending the Love Shockers a message and I ain't got time to babysit you."

"Wait, are you guys the GGs?" the boy guessed.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" Beat responded, lowering his spray can.

The boy saw this as the perfect opportunity. "Oh, you _gotta_ let me join your gang, dude!"

"Uhh, that's not up to be to decide," Beat replied, a bit bewildered.

Corn and Gum noticed Beat talking to the boy and stopped working on their own tags to approach them.

"Hey, what's going on?" Corn asked Beat as he skated up to him and the boy.

The boy clamped his hands together while facing Corn and Gum. "You _gotta_ let me join the GGs! You just _gotta!_ "

"Man, this kid is desperate," Beat remarked, shaking his head.

Corn scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but if he wants to join the GGs then he's free to do so."

"Seriously?" the boy exclaimed. "Oh, sweet! This is awesome!" He fist pumped the air.

Beat turned to Corn. "Are you seriously gonna let him in that easily? You just met the kid!"

"I just met _you_ when you joined the GGs, didn't I?" Corn pointed out.

"Yeah, but at least I helped Gum escape the cops," Beat replied.

"Pfft, nice revisionist history there, Beat," Gum scoffed. "Running away next to me doesn't count as helping me out."

"Either way," Corn began, "there's no point in turning any aspiring members away. We could always use more Rudies in our gang."

"Yeah!" Yoyo agreed, sticking his tongue out at Beat.

Beat threw his hands up. "Whatever, it's no skin off my back." He looked at the boy. "So, what's your name, anyway?"

"I'm Yoyo!" the boy said enthusiastically.

"See, he's already got his own nickname," Gum said to Beat. "That's more than what _you_ had going for you."

"Shut up," Beat replied indignantly.

"So, what are you guys up to?" Yoyo asked the group.

"The Love Shockers took something of ours and we want it back," Gum explained to him. "That's why we're covering Shibuya with our paint to send them a message. You know how to tag?"

"Sure, it's easy!" Yoyo said, lying through his teeth. "And messing with people is what I do best, yo!"

"Good, as long as you're not messing with _us_ ," Gum replied in a joking manner.

Yoyo couldn't promise them that.


	5. Chapter 5 – No Friends of Mine

**Chapter 5 – No Friends of Mine**

 _Yeah, this is DJ Professor K and you're tuning in to Jet Set Radio; your one stop shop for all the goings-on in Tokyo!_

 _Let's start out with some news from 99_ _th_ _Street. The power outage that's been affecting certain parts of 99_ _th_ _Street still hasn't been fixed. Not only that but Mr. Imanishi, the owner of the 99_ _th_ _Street shopping district, is quietly closing down some shops due to sinking profits. That ain't good news for the district._

 _In other news, the Goddess of Dogenzaka Hill has gone missing. Word has it that the GGs are after the Love Shockers because they think that they have something to do with its disappearance. That explains why the GGs covered Shibuya Terminal in their own paint. Now the Love Shockers are calling them out. If the GGs wanted a fight, they've got one!_

 _Now enough of me blabbing on, let's listen to some tunes!_

* * *

Beat, Corn, Gum, and Yoyo were sitting in the Garage while listening to the broadcast. Corn and Gum were sharing a couch while Beat, hardly paying attention to the broadcast, was taking up an entire couch for himself, forcing Yoyo to sit on the ground. Once the broadcast ended they began talking amongst each other.

"Man, is the power outage still going on?" Corn wondered. "You'd think Gouji would light some fire under people's asses to get that thing fixed."

"Yo, maybe some Rudies are behind it," Yoyo speculated.

"That seems unlikely," Corn replied. "You can't just start a power outage like that. Besides, Rapid 99 would know something if that were the case."

Beat, who was lost in his own music up until just then, looked up as he heard Corn's words. "Rapid 99?"

"They're the gang who run 99th Street," Corn explained. "They're an all-girls gang like the Love Shockers, but they've never caused us any trouble."

"Huh." Beat began to think about something. The name Rapid 99 sounded familiar to him.

"Guys, enough about 99th Street," Gum said, standing up from the couch. "The Love Shockers are calling us out so I think it's about time we confronted them."

"What exactly are we gonna do when we meet them?" Yoyo asked.

Corn stood up as well. "Well, we'll ask them about the Goddess and if they don't cough up what they did to it then… fists start flying."

Beat objected. "What, are we gonna start hitting girls? "No thanks."

"On the streets there's no such thing as chauvinism," Gum told him while crossing her arms. "If you're too afraid to hit a girl then maybe you're not cut out for being a Rudie."

"Fine," Beat relented, "I'll do it if I have to."

Corn hopped off of the platform they were all standing on. "Alright, let's go. I'll lead the way." The rest of the GGs followed closely behind as they made their way to the Love Shockers' hideout on Hikage Street.

* * *

The GGs skated to Hikage Street, a small road in the middle of the Shibuya district. The area largely consisted of dark alleyways and residential buildings. The Rokkaku Group began building the residential district shortly after the group was formed, but late into development Gouji decided to reallocate funds to a different project, leaving some of the infrastructure incomplete. The area was a lot less impressive than the GGs' Garage, but the Love Shockers decided to make it their home anyway.

Once the GGs entered the area it didn't take long for the Love Shockers to show themselves. They hopped off of the roof of a nearby building and landed right in front of the GGs, blocking their paths.

The Love Shockers each wore identical outfits: a matching teal and pink top and shorts. They each also wore matching pairs of evening gloves; one teal and one pink. Their long hair was a vibrant pink and in a ponytail, and they each wore yellow scarves with black stripes. Curiously, they each wore eyepatches over their left eyes.

One of the Love Shockers skated forward. Her scarf was different from the rest; it was pink with black stripes. She was the leader of the gang. She stood with her arms on her hips and spoke, "It looks like your gang expanded since we last met. Congrats." She had a sarcastic tone in her voice. "Now, what the hell is your guys' deal?"

Gum skated forward from the GGs and stood right in front of the leader. "We know you did something to the Goddess, so fess up."

The Love Shocker's leader let her arms down and scoffed. "You seriously think we did something to that thing? Whatever happened to it, we had nothing to do with it."

Gum jabbed the Love Shocker in the chest with her index finger. "Don't give me that crap. I'm not stupid."

Yoyo jumped in between the two. "Yo, either way the GGs are down to fight!"

The Love Shocker's leader stepped back a bit. "Don't you think that's a bit unfair? You guys outnumber us."

"There's no fairness on the streets," Yoyo retorted.

"No, they're right," Corn finally spoke up. "Let's make this an even fight."

"Hey, I'll back down from this," Beat volunteered. He muttered under his breath, "I didn't want to fight them anyway…"

The Love Shocker's leader crossed her arms. "We're only interested in one person here: Gum."

" _What?_ " Gum exclaimed.

"You heard me," the Love Shocker continued. "The rest of you can beat it. We're only after Gum."

"No way," Corn refused. "Why the hell do you just want Gum?"

"Oh come on, Corn, you know Gum has a history with us," the Love Shocker said slyly.

"There's no history to discuss between us," Gum told the Love Shocker.

"Look," Corn began. "I don't care what history you guys have. If you've got a problem with one of the GGs, you've got a problem with _all_ of us."

Gum sighed, then turned to face Corn. "No, it's alright. I can take them on my own."

"You sure?" Corn asked her.

"Trust me," Gum replied reassuringly.

"If you say so." Corn motioned to Beat and Yoyo to leave with him. Beat and Yoyo looked at each other quizzically but decided to obey and skate away with Corn as Gum looked back at them.

* * *

Beat, Corn, and Yoyo arrived back at the Garage. Immediately upon arriving, Corn approached one of the couchs and plopped his body down onto it. Beat followed him as he began to lie down and asked him a question.

"Aren't you worried about Gum dealing with the Love Shockers alone?"

"Gum's a tough girl, she can handle herself," Corn responded.

"Yeah, but there was no reason for us to leave," Beat argued.

"Gum wanted to face them alone, so I let her," Corn replied. "I try not to boss GG members around."

"You weren't bossing her around, you were just, I dunno, being _smart._ "

Corn chuckled. "I think Gum knows what's best for herself."

"If you say so." Beat's eyes began to wander around the Garage "Uh, hey, I'm gonna go check out 99th Street if you don't mind."

"What did I just say about not bossing people around?" Corn chided Beat sarcastically. "Do what you want."

Yoyo inserted himself into the conversation. "Yo, can I come?"

"Uh, sure," Beat replied. "Hey Corn, what's the quickest way to 99th Street from here?"

"Take the overpass; it'll lead you straight there," Corn answered.

"Thanks." Beat motioned for Yoyo to follow him. They both skated up to the overpass as Corn got himself comfortable on the couch.

* * *

Once the rest of the GGs had left Hikage Street, Gum turned back to face the Love Shockers. She knew that something was up.

"Alright, what game are you guys playing?" she asked them.

The leader of the Love Shockers snickered. "Come on Gum, you're a smart girl."

"Just tell me!" Gum demanded.

The Love Shocker smirked. "You can be honest with us. We know you're tired of hanging out with a bunch of men."

" _What?_ "

"Face it, you don't fit in with the GGs. Being around men is fun, but not when you have to live like that _constantly_. You should skate with _us_ instead."

"Hell no!" Gum refused.

The Love Shocker shook her head. "Damn, Gum, you're pretty hardcore. You just can't get enough, can you?"

"What are you talking about?"

The leader of the Love Shockers approached Gum and began to skate slowly around her in a circle. "Come on, girl, we know you haven't changed. The only reason you're hanging out with the GGs is to mess with them. And now the gang is expanding so you have even more toys to play around with before discarding them into the trash."

Gum pushed the Love Shocker away from her. "The reason I don't hang with you guys is because I'm _not_ like that anymore."

The Love Shocker snickered again. "You can keep saying that as much as you want but that doesn't change who you really are."

Gum grew more and more irritated with the Love Shockers. "You don't know me!" she shouted at them. "You guys are just jealous because _I_ could get a real boyfriend and _you_ couldn't."

"Oh, please," the leader of the Love Shockers scoffed. "If the only boyfriend you could get is _that_ dweeb, then I'd say we're much better off than you."

Gum finally snapped. She clenched her fist and punched the leader of the Love Shockers square in the face, knocking her to the ground. The rest of the Love Shockers rushed towards Gum and grabbed her by the arms, restraining her. The leader returned to her feet and put her face right in front of Gum's, looking her straight in the eye.

"You trying to give me another eyepatch? You've got a problem, girl." Her voice was stern. "I could easily take you out, one-on-one, but I'll spare you because of our 'history.'"

"I already told you, we _have_ no history," Gum said, squirming in an attempt to free herself from the Love Shockers' grasps. They tightened their grips on her.

"You never give up, do you?" The Love Shocker sighed and calmed herself down. "Listen, I wasn't lying when I said that we have nothing to do with that stupid statue, so you and your _'friends'_ can stop messing with us, okay? Go ahead, cover all of Tokyo with your tags. We got the message. You want Shibuya? It's yours, just leave us alone."

The leader of the Love Shockers turned away from Gum and began to skate away. The two Love Shockers who were gripping Gum threw her to the ground before following their leader. Gum quickly got back up to her feet and brushed herself off. She contemplated attacking them again but decided against it, realizing that it was a bad idea to confront them alone. Somehow, she believed the Love Shockers when they said that they didn't touch the Goddess. Her pride tattered, she began frantically skating back towards the Garage.

While making her way back, the same thoughts swirled through her head. _Those Love Shocker punks don't know shit about me._ _I can't believe they have the gall to act like we were ever friends._ She became lost in her thoughts and ignorant to the world around her as she skated across the street through busy traffic. The honking of cars as they braked to avoid a collision didn't register to her preoccupied mind. _I'm not who I used to be. I'm not like them. I've changed. What I did back then…_ Her thoughts trailed off as she finally arrived back at the Garage.

The Garage was empty, save for Corn who sat up on the couch and turned to see her enter. He wasn't expecting her to return so soon. She skated up the platform and sat down next to Corn on the couch, visibly in a foul mood.

"How'd it go?" Corn asked her.

Gum hesitated to respond. "They didn't touch the Goddess," she answered stoically.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Corn wondered how Gum could be so sure of that. He still felt that the Love Shockers had to be the ones behind the Goddess' disappearance. However, he trusted Gum so he decided not to pursue it.

"Who else could have stolen it then?" Corn wondered. "You think the Hell Bikers did it?"

"Could be," Gum replied.

Corn stood up from the couch. "I guess we should pay them a visit too, then."

"Give it a rest, Corn," Gum told him. "At least for today." Gum was usually calm and collected but her confrontation with the Love Shockers had her nerves rattled. Corn noticed that Gum was acting strangely and wondered what went down with her and the Love Shockers, but he didn't want to ask her about it. It's not that he didn't care about her, it's just that he was worried about what she'd say. He sat back down on the couch and they both sat together for a moment before Gum broke the silence.

"Hey, you wanna go get something to eat?" she asked Corn.

"Sure," Corn replied in the hopes that it would take Gum's mind off of whatever was bothering her. They both stood up and skated together towards Dogenzaka Hill.

* * *

Beat and Yoyo continued skating down the overpass that was leading them to 99th Street. They could see the bright neon lights of the district as they approached. It seemed that not all of 99th Street was being affected by the power outage.

They reached the point of the overpass that connected to 99th Street and hopped off. They both marvelled at the colourful cityscape — even during the day it was a sight to behold. 99th Street was home to a large shopping plaza and was the prime destination for those seeking the Tokyo nightlife. The district was decorated with neon billboards and bright lights. In the center of it all was Benten Tower, a tall skyscraper styled like a pagoda with a long dragon sculpture spiraling up in a circle around it. "Wow," began Yoyo, "this place is sick, yo!"

"Yeah," Beat responded, looking around in all directions for something in particular. Yoyo himself was distracted by the nearby shops. "Yo, look at all this cool stuff! I wish I could afford any of it."

Beat turns his head to face Yoyo. "Hey, what do you know about Rapid 99?" he asked him.

"Well, I know that they're a bunch of girls and that this place is their turf," Yoyo answered. "I think they've also got some sort of rivalry with Poison Jam."

"Poison Jam?"

"Yeah, they're a bunch of weirdos who dress up like classic movie monsters," Yoyo continued. "Kogane is their turf, but I guess they've got something against Rapid 99 because they get into fights with each other once in a while."

"How do you know so much about this kind of stuff?" Beat asked him.

"I did my research, yo," Yoyo replied. "That was the only time you'd ever see _me_ doing my homework."

Beat heard something and quickly turned around to face the direction of the noise. He spotted another skater skating around. "Quick, follow me," he told Yoyo as he began to chase after the skater. Yoyo quickly followed.

The other skater appeared to be in a hurry, pushing through crowds of people in their way, but Beat managed to get close enough to call out to them. The skater looked behind them and stopped near the base of Benten Tower once they realized that he was calling out to them. Beat and Yoyo approached the skater.

The skater was a woman who wore a dark purple long-sleeved shirt with a zipper and exposed midriff. Her bottom half was even more exposed; she only wore a pair of teal bikini bottoms and purple fishnet stockings to cover her legs. She had teal-coloured hair with pigtails. Her eyeshadow was also teal, as was her lipstick, and she wore dark purple fingerless gloves.

"What do you guys want?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

Beat recognized her almost immediately. "Holy shit, you're Rapid!" he said excitedly. "Man, I'm a _huge_ fan of your music!"

"Music?" Yoyo said confusingly. "I didn't know she did music."

"I don't," the girl responded. "At least not anymore. And we don't go by just Rapid anymore, either. We're Rapid 99 now, and yes the 'ninety-nine' is important."

"Can I meet the rest of the group?" Beat asked her.

"Look, we're not a band anymore so if you're hoping for an autograph then beat it," the Rapid 99 member replied.

"I'm not looking for an autograph or anything like that, I just really want to meet you guys," Beat begged.

The Rapid 99 member sighed. "Alright, fine, but be quick. I'm already running late."

" _Yes!_ " Beat exclaimed. The Rapid 99 member began to lead Beat and Yoyo to the rest of her gang. Yoyo didn't quite understand what was going on but he decided to follow along anyway. Beat skated next to the Rapid 99 member so he could ask her more questions.

"So, why did you guys break up?" he asked her.

"Well, to put it plainly, our records sold like crap," she answered. "Nobody wanted to listen to us, so we stopped playing."

"But your music was really good," Beat replied. "I mean, _I_ sure liked it and I like to think that I have pretty good taste in music."

"Yeah, well good music doesn't always translate to airplay," she explained. "Especially when the Rokkaku Group cracks down on any radio station that plays 'unapproved' music. Our records never stood a chance."

They approached an outdoor café where two other identical-looking Rapid 99 members were sitting around a table. The girl who was leading Beat and Yoyo around approached the rest of her gang. "Sorry I'm late, guys."

"What took you so long?" one of the other members of the gang asked. "Just because you're our leader doesn't mean you can keep us waiting."

Beat realized that the Rapid 99 member who he was talking to was their leader. He looked closely at the rest of the gang and noticed that they had red lipstick, as opposed to their leader's teal lipstick. He thought it was an odd way to differentiate themselves.

"Yeah, I know," Rapid 99's leader confessed. "But these two fellas wanted to meet you guys."

Beat approached the two sitting Rapid 99 members. "Hey, I'm Beat. I'm a huge fan of you guys." He quickly remembered about Yoyo and motioned towards him. "Oh yeah, and this guy's Yoyo."

"Yo, I can introduce _myself!_ " Yoyo shouted at Beat.

"Yeah, but you _didn't._ " Beat looked at each of the Rapid 99 members. "Hey, where's the other girl? The one with black hair?"

The members of Rapid 99 became visibly annoyed. "She could be rotting in a pool of shit for all we care," their leader said with her arms crossed.

"What do you mean?" Beat asked them.

"We kicked her out," one of the other Rapid 99 members replied. "She's not one of us anymore."

"Alright, your backstage pass is up," Rapid 99's leader told Beat. "We're done talking with you, so beat it." She sat down next to her gang.

Beat and Yoyo looked at each other. Beat didn't want to bother Rapid 99 since he still admired them, so he decided that it would be best for him and Yoyo to leave. "Alright, well, thanks for letting me meet you guys."

Rapid 99 ignored him.

Realizing that they should leave right away before Rapid 99 becomes even madder at him, Beat grabbed Yoyo by his arm and they both headed back to the Garage.


	6. Chapter 6 – The Social Whirl

**Chapter 6 – The Social Whirl  
**

Beat and Yoyo returned from 99th Street to an empty Garage. Corn and Gum were still out getting food, leaving Beat and Yoyo alone with nothing else to do. "Huh, I wonder where Corn went," Beat wondered aloud as he and Yoyo hopped down from the overpass.

"You think Gum's alright handling the Love Shockers on her own?" Yoyo asked Beat as they both sat in the shade underneath the large platform.

"Corn didn't seem to be worrying about her, but I dunno," Beat replied. "It seemed like she knew the Love Shockers personally but wasn't happy about it. I wonder what that was about."

"Yeah, that was weird," Yoyo responded.

Beat had a feeling that Gum was hiding something from him. Why else was she so unwilling to talk about her past with him?

Beat suddenly remembered something that he wanted to ask Yoyo about. "Hey, Yoyo, remember when you mentioned Poison Jam earlier?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Yoyo asked.

"Well, to be honest with you, I don't know anything about the different Rudie gangs," Beat confided. "I was wondering if you could give me a lesson on them all."

"What am I, an encyclopedia?" Yoyo asked jokingly. "I already said all there is to say about Poison Jam." He paused for a moment, then turned to face Beat. "Yo, you wanna see how crazy they are in person?"

"Sure. It's not like there's anything better to do," Beat remarked.

"Sweet!" Yoyo exclaimed. "Let's mess with those ugly punks!"

"Whoa, let's not get carried away," Beat said. "I'd rather not get into more trouble with any other gangs today."

"Suit yourself," Yoyo said as they both stood back up.

"Hey, follow me. Corn told me about a shortcut to get to Kogane," Beat said as he led Yoyo to a staircase at the perimeter of the Garage that ran to a lower path. The cramped pathway would eventually take them to the Kogane district.

* * *

Beat and Yoyo travelled down to the end of the path and arrived in Rokkaku-dai Heights, one of Kogane's residential districts. Surrounding them were dilapidated buildings, abandoned railways, and flocks of crows picking at garbage. Gone were the paved roads of Shibuya and Benten; instead were dirt pathways.

"Man, this place is a dump," Beat commented. "I can't believe Gouji thought it was a good idea to make this place a residential district, and then had the balls to name it after himself."

"You know, I actually don't know that much about that Gouji guy," confessed Yoyo. "All I know is that it's cool to hate him. Is stuff like _this_ why people hate him so much?"

"This and so much more," replied Beat. "You really should read up on all the crap this guy did. The people who hate him aren't doing it blindly, they have good reason to. The man is ruining Tokyo."

"Yo, I'm only sixteen," Yoyo said, "I'm too young to be worrying about politics and stuff."

"You're never too young to worry about this kind of stuff," Beat replied. "I mean, these people control our lives. The least you could do is care about it."

"Well I may be street smart but I'm not _smart_ smart," Yoyo said. "I'll leave that stuff to you."

"Hey, I'm street smart too." Beat asserted. "Just, you know, in a different way."

They both paused their conversation as they heard the sound of another skater nearby. "Yo, I bet that's Poison Jam!" Yoyo deduced. "Who else would be skating around in this garbage hole?" They made their way further into Rokkaku-dai, following the sound of the skater. Eventually the sound stops as Beat and Yoyo turn a corner to see a blue figure standing still in the distance. "Yo, that's totally them!" Yoyo exclaimed. He shouted out to the skater, calling their attention. Beat and Yoyo approach the skater as they turn to face them, noticing that the skater is a girl.

Beat nudged Yoyo. "I'm not gonna lie, when you said they were a bunch of weirdos in costumes I wasn't expecting them to be another all-girl gang."

"Yo, that ain't Poison Jam!" Yoyo realized.

They both stopped in front of her. She wore a turquoise backless dress with detached transparent sleeves and a red bra, oddly on the _outside_ of her dress. Perhaps it wasn't a bra at all; maybe it was some sort of new-age fashion piece. The girl also wore blue thigh-high socks and headphones with an antenna sticking out of one side. Her eyes were a bright blue — as were her eyeshadow and short hair — which stood out against her pale skin. She waved to them cheerfully. "Hi!"

"Uh, yo," Yoyo greeted her. "Sorry, we got ya confused with someone else."

"That's okay," the girl responded, "that doesn't mean we can't still introduce ourselves. I'm Liz."

"I'm Yoyo, and my pal here is Beat." Beat performed a small waving gesture.

"Are those nicknames? They're pretty cool!" the girl remarked.

"I take it you're not a Rudie then," Beat said. "Pretty much _every_ Rudie has a nickname." He nudged Yoyo with his elbow. "See, I know _that_ much about Rudie culture."

"No, I just skate for fun," the girl replied, "but that doesn't mean I can't have a nickname too." She thought for a moment before coming up with a nickname for herself. "I've got it: call me Rhyth."

"Rhyth? Uhh, well, nice to meet ya," Yoyo said. "So, why are you skating around in Kogane?"

"The same reason as you two, I assume," Rhyth replied.

"You're looking for Poison Jam too?" Beat asked.

"Oh, no, I just like it here," Rhyth corrected herself. "Don't you think Rokkaku-dai Heights is nice?"

Beat scoffed. "Are you kidding me? This place is a dump! Just look around you!" Beat motioned towards their surroundings; more run-down buildings and crooked telephone poles.

"I love it here," Rhyth responded. "It's fun to just skate around and get away from the noise of the city."

"I'd take the noise of the city over this place any day," Beat said.

Rhyth shrugged her shoulders. "Well, everyone likes different things."

Beat looked at the sky and noticed that the sun was beginning to set. "Hey Yoyo, maybe we should head back now before it gets dark."

"Oh, Rokkaku-dai is especially beautiful at sunset," Rhyth remarked. "You should stick around for a bit. I'll even help you look for that Poison Jam guy!"

"Really? Sweet!" Yoyo turned to face Beat. "Come on, don't be such a baby."

"Screw you, man," Beat shot back before relenting. "Fine, let's look for a little bit longer."

Yoyo looked at Rhyth. "Hey, you're a pretty cool girl. You should join the GGs."

"The GGs?" she replied quizzically.

"Yeah, it's our gang. There are a few other Rudies in our gang, too," Yoyo explained. "And don't worry, you won't be the only girl in the group."

"Oh, I dunno," she replied hesitantly, "I don't really like that gang stuff. I just skate for fun."

"Yo, we skate for fun too!" Yoyo assured her. "Just look at what me and Beat are doing right now."

"But you guys still get into fights with other gangs, right?" Rhyth asked.

"Well, sometimes," Yoyo answered, trying his best not to dissuade her from joining them, "but it's not that bad! Trust me, we spend most of our time just hanging out with each other."

Beat nudged Yoyo. "Dude, you've only been a GG for like a day."

"Yo, stop nudging me!" Yoyo began repeatedly nudging Beat back. "You like how that feels? _Do ya?_ "

"Okay, cut it out!" Beat stepped away from Yoyo. "Geez, take it easy."

Rhyth giggled. "You two are pretty funny. If the rest of your gang is half as fun as you two are, I'm sure hanging out with you guys will be a blast. Count me in!"

Yoyo turned to face her. "Damn right it'll be a blast!"

"Hey, don't you have, like, a family to go back to or something?" Beat asked Rhyth.

"Oh, no, I ran away from home a while ago," Rhyth replied.

"Where have you been living then?"

"Oh, here and there," she answered playfully.

Beat was curious to know more but he decided not to ask her to elaborate. If Gum and Corn were anything to go by, she probably wouldn't have told him about her past anyway. "Alright, so are we gonna look for Poison Jam now or not?"

"Of course, yo." Yoyo replied. "Rhyth, you said you hang out here a lot. Do you know where these Poison Jam guys usually hang? They're a bunch of dudes in weird monster costumes."

"Oh, those guys? Yeah, I see them around sometimes," Rhyth answered. "I don't know where they live though."

"Well, let's hope they're out here skating then," Beat said. "Otherwise this'll be a huge waste of time."

"No it won't," Rhyth replied as they began to skate deeper into the area. "You guys will still be able to see how beautiful Rokkaku-dai looks during twilight."

* * *

Corn and Gum were in Shibuya, making their way back to the Garage after eating out.

"That ramen house was really good," Gum told Corn. "I'm glad you suggested it."

"Yeah, I usually go there when I'm craving ramen," Corn replied. "It helps that it's cheap. That place is definitely my comfort food."

"Yeah, comfort food," Gum responded. "I really needed that."

As they skated down the sidewalk, a cop car pulled up ahead of them. Two officers stepped out of the car and began to approach them. "Hey, you two, we'd like to speak with you," one of them spoke out.

 _Shit,_ Gum thought to herself. Eating out managed to calm her down, she didn't need more stress right now. She considered trying to make a break for it but before she could inform Corn he began to speak to the cops.

"What do you guys want?" Corn asked them.

"The Goddess statue in Dogenzaka Hill has disappeared," one of the cops said. "I'm sure you two already know about that, being that you're members of the GGs."

"Yeah, what about it?" Corn asked.

"Well, we have reason to believe that your gang is behind its disappearance," the cop said.

"What?" Corn exclaimed. "That's crazy, we'd never do something like that!"

"We've been conducting an investigation and your gang are the most likely suspects," the cop informed them.

"Why the hell would we mess with something that belongs on our turf?" Corn asked them.

The two cops looked at each other and began to chuckle. "Your _turf?_ Yeah right. Whether you consider Dogenzaka Hill to be your 'turf' or not doesn't change the fact that you Rudies have no regard for public property and are known to engage in vandalism."

"Hey, spraying graffiti is different," Gum interjected. "Our tags make the city look better."

The two cops chuckled again. "Alright, we've had enough of this." The cops began to pull out their handcuffs and attempted to arrest them. Corn and Gum both pushed them away before quickly taking off. The cops scrambled back into their police car but Corn and Gum skated into an alleyway, making a car chase impossible.

"Goddamn, those cops just tried to arrest us!" Gum said to Corn between breaths.

"They really think we did something to the Goddess," Corn replied. "Shit, this is getting serious now. They're not gonna let up until we find that statue."

* * *

Later in the day, Beat and Yoyo returned to the Garage with Rhyth. The sun had already set but the Garage's courtyard was illuminated with outdoor lights. Corn and Gum were sitting on the couch talking to each other when they noticed them skate into the Garage.

"Hey, what were you two doing in Kogane?" Corn asked them. "And who's your friend?"

"She's the newest member of the GGs," Yoyo answered.

"Hi, I'm Liz… I-I mean, Rhyth," she stuttered.

"Did you just use your real name to introduce yourself?" Gum asked her. "You don't hear that often. Anyway, I'm Gum and he's Corn." She motioned towards Corn who was sitting next to her.

"Nice to meet both of you!" Rhyth replied with a smile.

"Listen, we've got pressing matters we need to talk about so you all need to get up here right now," Corn said sternly. They all met Corn and Gum at the top of the large platform.

"What's going on?" Beat asked them.

"The cops came after Gum and I earlier today," he told them. "They think that we're the ones who messed with the Goddess."

"I thought the Love Shockers were the culprits," Beat said. He turned to face Gum. "Hey, how'd that whole thing go, anyway?"

"They had nothing to do with it," Gum responded.

"The only other gang that could have done something to it are the Hell Bikers," Corn surmised.

"Where's their hideout?" Beat asked.

"Probably in the retirement home," Gum joked. "I bet it's past their bedtime right now."

"They usually stick to Shibuya so we should scope them out over there, but the cops are after us so it could be dangerous," Corn said.

"I'll volunteer to go look for them since they seem to be pretty fond of me," Gum said. She turned to face Rhyth. "Hey Rhyth, you look pretty clueless right now."

"Uh, yeah, I am," Rhyth replied sheepishly.

"If you come with me I'll explain this whole thing to you," Gum suggested. "Deal?"

"Sure!" Rhyth answered.

"Cool." Gum stood up. "Follow me." She led Rhyth down the platform and towards Shibuya.

* * *

Corn scratched the back of his head. "Man, this gang is growing quickly."

Gum was skating with Rhyth around the Shibuya bus terminal, explaining to her everything that had happened in the past few days.

"I dunno if this gang stuff is right for me," Rhyth told Gum. "I don't really like getting into fights and stuff."

"Don't worry too much about that," Gum reassured her. "We rarely get into physical confrontations, and if we do you could always sit them out. Corn is pretty lenient about that kind of stuff."

"That's really nice of him," Rhyth said. "So how are we supposed to find these Hell Biker guys at night?"

"Don't worry, you'll hear them coming from a mile away," Gum replied. Sure enough, as if on cue, the sounds of motorcycle engines began to come closer to them. They both turned to face the direction that the sounds were coming from and saw three headlights approach them before coming to a stop next to them.

"Hey, is this your new friend?" one of the Hell Bikers asked Gum, referring to Rhyth. "I guess you gave up on men and decided to become a lesbian." The three bikers laughed.

"Wh- _What?_ " Rhyth was taken aback by his comment.

"Shut up, we know you guys are the ones who did something to the Goddess," Gum told them. "What did you do to it?"

The Hell Bikers chuckle among themselves. "Say, if you two lovebirds beat us in a race we'll tell you where we're hiding it."

"That's totally unfair!" Gum exclaimed. "How are we supposed to beat you when you're on bikes?"

"Final offer, take it or leave it," the Hell Biker said.

"No, we're not stupid," Gum answered.

"Too bad, I guess you'll never see that statue ever again," the Hell Biker replied with a chuckle.

"I know you guys are messing with us," Gum told them. "I bet you guys aren't even strong enough to lift that thing."

The Hell Bikers laughed. "I guess you're not a dumb blonde after all. Not that I have anything against dumb blondes… or blue hair, heh."

"You guys are perverts!" Rhyth exclaimed.

The Hell Bikers laughed even harder in response. "Damn, someone who calls them as they see them. I guess there's no messing with you." They revved their engines. "We'll leave you two lovebirds alone." They began to drive away, the roar of their engines fading in the distance.

"What's with those guys?" Rhyth asked Gum in a quavering voice.

"That's the Hell Bikers for ya," Gum said smugly. She turned to look at Rhyth and noticed that she appeared to be quite shaken up by the Hell Bikers. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, those guys just creeped me out," Rhyth replied, clutching her arms.

Gum didn't expect her to have such a reaction. She put her hand on Rhyth's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you along."

"No, it's not your fault," Rhyth replied.

Gum still felt guilty. In reality, it partially _was_ her fault. The only reason she persuaded Rhyth to join her was because she knew that two attractive girls wandering alone at night would easily grab the Hell Bikers' attention. Gum felt ashamed for using Rhyth in a dirty attempt to try to get something out of the Hell Bikers, and seeing how badly it shook her up only made her feel worse.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens approached to replace the sound of motorcycle engines. "Shit, the cops!" Gum exclaimed. "We gotta get outta here!"


	7. Chapter 7 – Talk It Out

**Chapter 7 – Talk It Out  
**

Beat stumbled out of his hotel room and into the courtyard, again having slept in later than everyone else. He skated up to the rest of the gang who were sitting around as they discussed the Jet Set Radio broadcast that had just aired.

"The Love Shockers are out, the Hell Bikers are out… who else is there?" Gum asked everyone.

"Yo, why doesn't DJ Professor K know what happened to the statue?" Yoyo asked.

"DJ K doesn't know _everything_ that happens on the streets," Gum replied.

"That's bullshit, yo!" Yoyo exclaimed. "He acts like he knows everything, why can't he know about _this?_ "

"Calm down, Yoyo," Corn told him. Yoyo regained his composure.

"Maybe there are some other Rudies who have an idea about what happened to the Goddess," Rhyth suggested.

Beat interjected into the conversation. "Hey Corn, remember that one girl Rudie with the scarf who talked to us a couple days ago?"

"Oh yeah, she seemed to be interested in the Goddess' disappearance too" Gum recalled. "Maybe she knows something by now, but where would we find her?"

"A girl with a scarf? Yo, I saw someone like that hanging out in Benten before," Yoyo informed them.

"Well, that's as good a hint as we'll ever get," Corn said, getting up to his feet. "Beat, you in?"

"Sure, I'll come," Beat replied.

Corn looked to Rhyth. "Hey Rhyth, you wanna tag along too?"

"I dunno, after what happened yesterday…" Rhyth said hesitantly, recalling how the Hell Bikers treated her.

"Don't worry Rhyth, none of the other gangs are as scuzzy as the Hell Bikers," Gum reassured her.

"Well, okay, I'll come too," Rhyth replied, getting up to her feet as well.

"Cool, let's head out then," Corn said, leading the group into Benten through the overpass while Gum and Yoyo stayed in the Garage.

* * *

The group began their search in 99th Street. Rhyth had never been there before and marveled at all the lights. "Wow, this place is amazing!"

"It's even prettier at night," Corn told her.

Beat looked around and spotted another skater. Upon looking closer he realized that it was a member of Rapid 99. He pointed her out to Corn. "Hey, you think she knows anything about the statue?"

"Doubt it," Corn replied.

Beat kept his eye on her. He still felt bad about how his first encounter with them went and he wanted to make a better impression of himself. "Hey, I'm gonna go ask her anyway. You mind?"

"Go ahead, Rhyth and I will keep looking for that girl," Corn replied.

Beat nodded and began following the Rapid 99 member. She began to skate up to the top of Benten Tower on the dragon sculpture that spiraled around it. It seemed dangerous to Beat, but he continued trailing her anyway. He leaped onto the dragon sculpture and began skating up its tail, making sure not to look down at the long fall below him. The world around him spun as he spiraled around and around the tower multiple times before finally making it to the top where a leery member of Rapid 99 was waiting for him. Beat looked closely at her lips and noticed that they were teal, indicating that she was the leader of the gang.

"What the hell are you following me for?" she asked him.

"Look, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot the other day and I just want to make sure that everything's cool between us," Beat told her.

"Whatever, now leave me alone," she replied nonchalantly.

"Wait, I actually wanted to ask you something," Beat said.

"If this is about the band then you can forget it," she told him.

"No, it has nothing to do with that," he assured her. "It's actually about the Goddess statue in Dogenzaka Hill. You know, the one that went missing?"

"Mhm."

"Well, I was just wondering if you knew anything about what happened to it."

"Isn't Dogenzaka Hill GGs turf?" she asked him. "You should know more than me."

"Well we don't, so we could use any help we can get."

She stood with her hand rubbing her chin for a moment before answering. "Well, I heard a rumour that Poison Jam stole it."

"Poison Jam? Shit, they weren't even on our radar," Beat said. "I mean, I haven't even seen them yet."

"Well you'll recognize them right away by their smell," she said jokingly.

Beat chuckled. "Well, thanks for the tip. See ya around."

Beat was about to leave but pauses himself to take a look at the skyline. The view from the top of Benten Tower was quite the sight.

"Man, you guys are lucky to have this place as your turf," Beat said, awestruck by the view.

"You guys better not think about getting into a turf war with us," Rapid 99 warned him.

"Don't worry, Shibuya is the only turf the GGs are interested in," Beat replied. "Although I have to admit that even after growing up my whole life in Shibuya, I like Benten a bit more."

Rapid 99 leaned on the railing next to Beat. "You know, you're free to visit as often as you want. Well, as long as you don't ask for a private concert."

Beat laughed. "Sounds like a fair deal to me."

"Lucky for you we're not as strict when it comes to other gangs treading on or turf," she explained. "I mean, how can we be? This place is the biggest shopping district in Tokyo. It'd be impossible to enforce that rule."

"Yeah." Beat stood for a bit longer looking at the view before remembering about the search for the girl with the scarf. "Well, I'm gonna head out now. Thanks again."

"Don't mention it," Rapid 99 said as Beat sat and slid down the tail of the dragon. She laughed at the sight.

* * *

Corn and Rhyth made their way into a dark alleyway in 99th Street. This small residential district, hidden away from all of the shops and offices, was the one being affected by the power outage.

"No wonder the outage hasn't been fixed," Corn theorized, "there's no shops or anything here so Gouji has no pressure to fix it."

Rhyth tugged on Corn's sleeve. "Hey, is that the girl we're looking for?" She pointed toward a white-haired skater with a long scarf.

"That's the one." Corn and Rhyth approached the skater and called out to get her attention.

The skater turned to face them and recognized Corn from their first encounter. "Oh, it's you."

"Hey, I know you probably don't hold us GGs in high regard but I was wondering if we could ask you about something," Corn told her.

"I said that the GGs were one of the better gangs, didn't I?" the skater reminded him. "So shoot."

"Well, we were wondering if you learned anything about what happened to the Goddess statue," Corn said.

"No, unfortunately I still don't have a clue about what happened to it," the skater replied. "Although I have been investigating something else in the meanwhile."

"What are you, a detective or something?" Corn asked her.

"No, just curious about all the shady stuff going on in Tokyo," the skater said.

"The power outage?"

"Bingo."

Corn looked to Rhyth, who had kept herself out of the conversation, and then back to the white-haired skater. "Hey, I've been thinking about what you said the last time we met since it's been bothering me ever since. You know, about how we should fight back against the government."

"Have you been considering it?" the skater asked him.

"More like I've been dumbfounded by it," Corn replied. "Seriously, how the hell do you expect us to rise against the Rokkaku Government?"

"I believe in strength in numbers," the skater told him. "If every Rudie joined together to fight against Gouji instead of against each other, they could do serious damage to his government."

"And how the hell do you expect all the gangs to work together?" Corn asked her. "Every gang pretty much hates each other."

"Well that's something you should be working to resolve," the skater said. "It's not hard to make peace with the other gangs."

"I don't know if you've ever met any of the other gangs, but most of them don't _want_ peace," Corn told her.

"But they _do_ want to get rid of Gouji and his government," the skater replied. "That's a common want among all Rudies, and I'm positive that they'd all be willing to form a truce, at least momentarily, to topple his government."

"You make it sound like it'd be easy," Corn said.

"You only think it won't be easy because you haven't even attempted it," the skater tells him. "I mean, you're the leader of one of the most prominent gangs in Tokyo and you haven't even been _attempting_ to form truces with other gangs."

"Hey, how'd you know I was the leader of the GGs?" Corn asked her, slightly surprised.

"Don't underestimate how much I really know," the skater said with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, maybe if the other gangs would stop messing with us then we'd be willing to work with them," Corn pointed out.

"Sometimes you have to make small personal sacrifices for the common good," the skater said.

Corn rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't be so calm and friendly if you were in my position."

"I beg to differ."

Corn sighed. He looked back at Rhyth again. She seemed to be completely out of the loop on what they were talking about. He looked back to the white-haired skater. "Hey, I feel like we haven't introduced ourselves properly. My name's Corn, although you might already know that."

Rhyth finally became eager to join the conversation. "And I'm Rhyth. Nice to meet you."

"You too. My name's Jazz," the skater said.

"Hey Jazz, you want to join the GGs?" Rhyth asked her.

"No thanks," Jazz replied. "I don't want to join a gang who's too preoccupied with turf wars to worry about the greater picture. Now if you'll excuse me…" She turned around and skated off.

Corn clenched his fists. "She sure knows how to tick me off right before making an exit."

"I dunno, I kinda like her," Rhyth said.

* * *

Corn and Rhyth returned to the Garage to find Beat there waiting for them.

"Hey, sorry for ditching you guys," Beat said. "I couldn't find you guys after talking to Rapid 99 so I just decided to wait for you here."

"It's fine," Corn replied. "It turns out that girl didn't know anything anyway. Her name's Jazz, by the way."

"Jazz, eh?" Gum interjected herself into the discussion.

"Well no worries because it turns out Rapid 99 knew about the Goddess all along," Beat said. "She tipped me off to Poison Jam having it."

"Poison Jam? Why would _they_ take it?" Corn wondered.

"Nothing about those freaks makes sense," Gum quipped.

"Well I guess we'll have to pay them a visit," Corn said. "Although I ain't looking forward to it. They hang out in the sewers in Kogane."

"Seriously? That's nasty!" Beat exclaimed. "I guess Yoyo left that part out. And I was kinda looking forward to meeting those dudes."

Rhyth was grossed out by the prospect of entering the sewers. "Uhh, is it alright if I sit this one out?" she asked Corn.

"Heh, sure thing," Corn replied. "Gum, Beat, and I can handle it."

"Thanks!" Rhyth happily skated off.

"Damnit, do I _have_ to come, too?" Beat begged. "I mean, I still want to see those guys but not if it means venturing into the freaking _sewers_."

"Poison Jam are big dudes, so if we're gonna confront them it's best to have backup," Corn explained to him.

"Ugh, fine," Beat relented.

Beat, Corn, and Gum left towards Kogane, leaving Rhyth and Yoyo alone in the Garage. Rhyth approached Yoyo who was playing pinball on a rusted pinball machine he had found in the Garage.

"Hey Yoyo, whatcha up to?" Rhyth asked him.

"What does it look like, yo? I'm beating my high score!" Yoyo answered just as he got a game over. "Damnit!" He kicked the side of the machine.

Rhyth giggled. "Sounds like fun."

Yoyo stepped away from the machine and looked around the Garage, noticing that they were alone. "Hey, where did everyone else go?"

"They all went to talk to Poison Jam," Rhyth answered.

"How do they expect to find them? _We_ couldn't even find them!"

"Corn said that they hang out in the sewers."

" _The_ _sewers?_ Uhh, I guess I don't know as much about them as I thought." Yoyo skated into the shade underneath the raised platform. "As if those guys couldn't get any weirder."

Rhyth followed him into the shade and sat down next to him. "Not much to do now, huh?"

Yoyo laid down on his back, looking up at the platform ceiling above him. "You know, you never explained why you ran away from home."

"Oh, y-yeah…" Rhyth stammered. "I, uh, didn't know you were curious about that."

"Well, we might as well get to know each other better, ya know?" Yoyo said.

"We can get to know each other some other way, can't we?" Rhyth requested. "Sorry, I'm just… I'm not completely comfortable talking about that stuff."

Yoyo sat up. "What's the big deal? We _all_ had shitty childhoods, yo. Why do you think we all ran away from home?"

"I suppose…" Rhyth was still hesitant, but she did have the urge to confide in someone and she felt comfortable telling Yoyo the details. "Well… I grew up in a poor family. I was an only child but my parents still had troubles getting by. I felt like me being around made things harder for them, so I tried helping out in any way I could. I started stealing stuff like food and anything that I could sell for decent money."

"Seriously?" Yoyo was surprised. Rhyth didn't come across like the type of person who would steal, but then again he hadn't known her for very long.

"Yeah," Rhyth continued, "but it didn't help much. We still barely had enough money to feed us all. Eventually things got pretty desperate and I… I overheard my parents talking about putting me up for adoption."

"No way…"

Rhyth nodded. "I don't know what being put up for adoption is like, but the thought of it really scared me. So, I decided that it would be better if I just ran away from home instead. Without saying anything or thinking things through, I just… left. I was homeless for a while, sleeping outside and everything, until I came across you guys. I sure am lucky I did."

Yoyo was at a loss for words. "Shit, yo, I wasn't expecting something so… heavy."

"Yeah…" Rhyth said. "You know, it actually feels good to have finally told someone about it. Thanks for listening."

"No problem." Yoyo chuckled. "My story's nothing compared to yours. I just ran away from home 'cause my parents were dicks."

"How so?" Rhyth asked.

"Well, they gave me a super-strict curfew and almost never bought me anything cool!"

Rhyth scoffed. "Sounds like you had a pretty comfortable childhood to me."

"No way, man! Check this out." Yoyo removed his sunglasses and showed them to Rhyth. "Look, my parents bought me this pair of sunglasses. Feel them, they're cheap as shit!"

Rhyth felt the sunglasses. They didn't feel that cheap to her. "You should be more grateful for what you have, you know."

Yoyo put his sunglasses back on. "Hey, I'm grateful, it's just that… I just wish that things could be even _better_ , you know? I guess living with my parents wasn't _that_ bad, but why settle for mediocrity, am I right?" Yoyo snickered. "I wouldn't mind some new shades. Maybe I should take up stealing, too."

"Oh, no, I would never shoplift ever again," Rhyth admitted. "I only did it because I was desperate. It was either that or let perverts film me posing in skimpy outfits."

Yoyo looked at Rhyth. "Hey, the stuff you're wearing is _already_ pretty skimpy. Seriously, what's up with the bra?"

Rhyth crossed her arms. " _Hey_ , I like my outfit."

"But it looks ridiculous!" Yoyo snickered.

"Shut up!" Rhyth turned her back to him, upset that he insulted her clothes.

"Hey, I'm just joking, geez!" Yoyo put his hand on her shoulder. "Wear whatever you want, I don't care."

Rhyth turned back to face him again. "Thanks for your permission," she said sarcastically.

Yoyo laid back down on his back. Rhyth looked down at him before laying down on her back as well. The two laid in silence for a moment before Yoyo abruptly sat back up again to ask Rhyth a question.

"Yo, wanna order a pizza?"


	8. Chapter 8 – Behind the Lies

**Chapter 8 – Behind the Lies**

Beat, Corn, and Gum were skating through a large sewer pipe — covering their noses with their hands due to the sickening stench — as they made their way to Poison Jam's hideout. Gum was attempting to skate carefully so as not to get too much sewer water on her skates but quickly realized that it was a hopeless endeavour.

"Jesus, how do those guys live with the smell?" Beat said in a muffled voice due to his hand partially covering his mouth.

"I keep telling you, they're a bunch of crazy freaks," Gum replied.

"I knew they were crazy, but not _this_ crazy," Beat said.

The group reached the end of the sewer pipe which led them straight to the Tokyo Underground Sewage Facility. They climbed out of the pipe and onto a suspended catwalk which connected to the many different sections of the facility. The sewage facility, dedicated to treating Tokyo's water supply, was a sprawling premises that resided beneath the Kogane district. A murky shade of blue covered nearly every surface of the facility.

Beat looked around. "Damn, this place is huge." His voice echoed off the walls.

Corn pointed out the multiple large sewer pipes situated around the facility that were spewing water into the water pool below them. "These pipes probably connect to everywhere in Tokyo. That must be how they snuck into Dogenzaka Hill to steal the Goddess."

The group skated down the catwalk. Beat spotted something moving on a platform below them. "Whoa, check that thing out!"

Corn and Gum stopped to look. It was an abnormally-large salamander, much larger than any normal salamander could naturally grow.

"How did it get so big?" Gum wondered.

"I heard about them on TV a while ago," Beat said. "They're a rare breed of salamander unique to the Kogane region. Apparently the sewage pollution is what makes them grow so huge."

"You heard about it on TV?" Corn asked.

"Yeah, it was on a variety show," Beat replied. "They prepared a salamander into a sashimi dish and fed it to some guy. The poor guy got sick and was apparently hospitalized for weeks."

"Really? Why haven't I heard about that?" Gum wondered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the Rokkaku Group tried to censor it so that word wouldn't get out about what the pollution in Kogane is doing to the local fauna," Corn said. "Think about it; if the sewage can mutate a salamander, then who knows what it can do to people."

Suddenly, three large skaters jumped down from the catwalk above them and landed in their path. The men were wearing identical blue reptilian monster costumes — complete with masks covering their faces — with pairs of tattered overalls over their costumes and lime-coloured mohawks. One of the skaters also had a red spiked shoulder piece over their right shoulder, signifying him as their leader. The skaters stood slouching in an attempt to appear intimidating. It was obvious to Beat that these three men were Poison Jam.

" _Grr,_ what the hell are you guys doing here?" the leader growled.

"We know you guys have the Goddess, so fess up!" Corn demanded.

Poison Jam laughed. " _Gahah,_ we don't have that stupid statue."

Corn didn't believe them and continued pressing. "We're serious, show us where it is or else."

"We don't gotta do anything," Poison Jam's leader snarled. "This is _our_ turf so you gotta follow _our_ rules. Now beat it!"

"We're not going anywhere until we've got what we want," Corn declared.

"Then I hope you punks get used to the smell 'cause you're gonna be here for a long time, _gahah!_ " Poison Jam snickered. "Try not to get lost!"

The Poison Jam members yelled out in unison as they all jumped over the catwalk railing and down into the pool at the bottom of the facility. Gum looked over the edge and watched them swim away in the sewer water. "That can't be good for you."

* * *

A Rudie was skating through the sewage facility, navigating through the branching catwalks and sewer pipes. He skated around the facility for fun and knew his way around it like the back of his hand. This led to many confrontations with Poison Jam, but he never let them intimidate him and they eventually began leaving him alone.

The dark-skinned Rudie wore a grey tanktop and black baggy pants. His accessories included black gloves and orange goggles over his eyes. The boy was bald which was uncommon among the youth in Japan so he'd often catch the stares of others, but he payed them no mind. All he had to do was raise his fist and the onlookers would back off.

He looked down at the catwalks below him and noticed three other skaters wandering aimlessly. _These fools got themselves lost? What a bunch of suckers,_ he thought to himself. He looked closer at the group and noticed that one of the skaters was an attractive girl. _Heh, m_ _aybe I should help them out after all…_

He skated down the catwalk he was on and found a staircase that led him lower into the facility. He continued following the walkways until he arrived at the same level as the three other skaters. The other skaters noticed him as he approached them.

"Hey," Corn called out to the skater. "What are you doing skating around here?"

"Me? I always skate around here," the skater responded. "What are _you guys_ doing here?"

"We're looking for Poison Jam," Corn answered. "We spotted them earlier but they ran off."

"Poison Jam usually hang out much deeper into the facility," the skater replied. "You guys are probably better off heading home."

"Dude, we don't even know how to get back," Beat said.

The skater chuckled. "Yeah, this place is pretty tricky. You guys shouldn't have come down here if you don't know what you're doing." He looked over to Gum. "But I'd be willing to help you guys out."

"You'll take us to Poison Jam?" Corn asked.

"Sure," the skater replied. He motioned towards Gum. "But confronting Poison Jam ain't gonna be safe for a little lady."

Gum crossed her arms and gave him a look. "I can hold my own, thanks."

"If you say so, girl," the skater replied. "I stand my ground when dealing with those fish dudes so they've learned to leave me alone."

The skater _did_ look pretty tough. Corn wondered if the skater could be of some use to them in their confrontation with Poison Jam. He would certainly give them the upper hand if a fight were to break out.

"You know, if you don't mind we could probably use your help in dealing with those guys," Corn told him. "When you mess with Poison Jam, things usually get ugly."

"What, are you guys planning on throwing down or something?" the skater asked. "The hell did those guys do to you?"

"They took the Goddess statue in Dogenzaka Hill," Corn replied. "We've gotta get it back, no matter what it takes."

"Oh, you guys must be the GGs then, right?" the skater asked. "Well I don't wanna miss a chance to get into some action so count me in."

"How about joining the GGs while you're at it?" Corn offered.

"Heh, you guys need me that badly?" the skater said with a smirk, looking to Gum. "Well, I guess joining you guys could be fun. Count me in. My name's Garam."

The rest of the group introduced themselves to Garam.

"Nice to meet y'all," Garam replied. He struck a commanding pose and raised his voice. "Alright, Garam's grand tour of the sewage facility begins now. Let's head out."

The group looked at each other awkwardly but quickly brushed it off. They followed closely behind Garam as he led them around the facility.

* * *

The group delved deeper into the sewage facility. The once blue shade of the facility began to turn into a murky purple hue, and the stench of the sewage became even more potent. The sewer pipes they were skating through looked as if they hadn't been used in years and were filthy with grime and mold. Many smaller pipes twisted above them, emanating muffled sounds of rushing water.

"Poison Jam's gotta be somewhere around here," Garam said, his voice reverberating across the facility.

The group entered an expansive room. The room was empty aside from a large piece of machinery in the center of it. Various pipes and knobs stuck out of the machine. Standing on the top of the machine were Poison Jam who jumped down in front of the group.

" _Grr,_ you're lucky you made it this deep," Poison Jam's leader growled. He looked over at Garam who had joined the GGs' party since they last met. "I see you added another idiot to your ranks, _gahah._ "

"Who you calling an idiot?" Garam shot back. He tried approaching Poison Jam but Corn blocked him with his arm and began approaching Poison Jam himself.

"I'm only gonna ask you one more time: where is the statue?" Corn asked them.

Poison Jam laughed together. "You guys are crazy. We told you before, we don't have that stupid thing."

Corn clenched his fist.

Poison Jam's leader continued. "Now, we'll give you one more chance to bail, or else…"

"We ain't going anywhere," Corn replied. "If we've gotta fight to get what we want, then that's what's gonna happen."

" _Gah,_ don't you punks believe in honour?" Poison Jam's leader asked them. "You guys outnumber us. You call that a fair fight?"

"Tough luck," Garam smirked.

" _I'll make it even."_

The words came from another Rudie who had suddenly skated in from behind Poison Jam. The skater, a woman with short black hair, wore a black sleeveless top with her midriff showing, black pants, and black gloves. Her belt buckle was shaped like a skull and she wore blue lipstick — the only colour in an otherwise black outfit. She looked familiar to Beat but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"Nice try, thinking you can get the upper hand," the woman said, skating to the front of Poison Jam. "Not that my boys need my help."

"Your boys?" Gum asked quizzically.

"Of course," the woman replied. "These fellas couldn't get anything done without me here telling them what to do."

" _You're_ their leader?" Garam exclaimed.

"Shocked?" the woman smirked.

Just then, Beat remembered why the woman looked familiar to him. "Wait, you were in Rapid, weren't you?"

The woman giggled. "I have a name, you know. It's Cube. But I'm surprised that someone actually recognizes me from that stupid band."

Corn, Garam, and Gum all looked towards Beat, curious as to how he knew about Cube. "Yeah, I used to listen to you guys all the time," Beat said. "It sucks that you guys broke up."

"Let's not make this about my past," Cube replied. "Don't think that I'm gonna go easy on you just because you recognize me."

"Hold up, hold up," Corn interjected. "Let me get things straight: you used to be in Rapid 99 but now you're the leader of Poison Jam? How the hell did that come about?"

Cube circled around Poison Jam, brushing her hands over their shoulders. "Well, if you take a good look at these beasts, you can clearly see that those dumb girls just can't compare."

"Is that what you've convinced yourself?" Beat said. "'Cause Rapid 99 told me that they _kicked_ you out."

"Oh, is _that_ what they told you?" Cube scoffed. "I'm sure saying that helps them sleep at night."

"What do you mean?" Corn asked.

"Those girls didn't kick me out, I left on my own," she revealed. "The band wasn't getting anywhere and as a gang they just sat around and did nothing all day. So I decided to ditch those losers for a gang that actually gets things done." She gestured towards Poison Jam. "But of course those girls were pissed when they saw what gang I joined, and I'm sure they got _real_ salty when they saw that I became their leader and helped them take over most of Kogane. So now we've got a rivalry going on, if you can even call it that 'cause they're still too chicken-shit to confront us. I guess they're jealous of our success, but that's what they get for sitting on their asses. Too bad, so sad."

"Yeah _right!_ " Beat exclaimed. "I trust Rapid 99 more than I trust you, and they said that you guys took the Goddess."

"Oh, _now_ things make sense," Cube said. "Rapid 99 are just using you guys as guinea pigs to get back at us, and you're actually stupid enough to fall for it." She chuckled. "I guess they're not completely useless after all."

Corn and Gum turned to face Beat, annoyed that he had possibly allowed them to be duped by Rapid 99.

"No way, you're lying!" Beat stammered.

"Come on, let's think about this for a sec." Cube continued. "How the hell could we have carried the Goddess here all the way from Dogenzaka Hill? That thing probably weighs a ton. My boys are strong, but they're not _that_ strong."

Beat scratched the back of his head. "Well, I dunno…" He glanced at Corn and Gum who were both seething.

Cube chuckled. "Exactly. Now, since I pity you fools for getting conned by Rapid 99, I'll give you the opportunity to leave with your heads hanging."

"We ain't gonna run away that easily!" Garam swore with his fists clenched and ready to fight.

"Give it up, Garam," Corn ordered him calmly. "If Poison Jam don't have the Goddess then we've got no business with them. Let's just get outta here." He began skating away, shooting Beat a frustrated glare. The rest of the group hesitated for a moment but soon followed closely behind him.

Poison Jam laughed together. "You better not come back, cuz next time we won't hold back, _gahah!_ " they shouted back at them.

The group skated away discouraged. Beat couldn't believe that Rapid 99 had lied to him. Perhaps his fanboying for them allowed him to be easily deceived. He swore that he wouldn't let himself be fooled by them ever again.

As they skated away, Corn pulled Beat closer to him and spoke into his ear with his teeth clenched. "You and I are paying Rapid 99 a visit."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set in 99th Street. The leader of Rapid 99 was sitting at the top of Benten Tower, her legs hanging off of the side of the building. The balusters of the railing that rimmed the roof of the tower were far enough apart for her to rest her legs in between. She sat there enjoying the view before hearing the sounds of skaters ascending the dragon sculpture that spiraled up the tower. She lifted herself up with the railing and waited, expecting the skaters to be the other members of her gang. She was caught off guard when they turned out to be Beat and Corn.

"What do you guys want?" she asked them before noticing how mad they were.

Beat approached her, standing inches in front of her face, and yelled, " _Why the hell did you lie to me about Poison Jam having the Goddess?_ "

"What are you talking about?" she asked him nervously.

"We paid Poison Jam a visit because of what you said, and guess what?" He threw his arms up into the air. " _They didn't have it!_ "

She stepped back. "Hey man, take it easy. I heard it as a rumour, that's all. I didn't know if it was true or not."

"Bullshit," Corn exclaimed. "We know you and Poison Jam have a rivalry."

"Yeah, and you lied about why Cube left your gang, too," Beat continued. "What's your problem?"

Rapid 99's leader shouted back at them. " _You talked to that bitch?_ " She regained her composure. "Whatever, you can believe whoever you want, but this is my turf so you two better get lost."

"Yeah, or else what?" Beat tested her. "You ain't gonna do shit."

He was right. Rapid 99 liked to act tough but they could never hold their own in a fight. That's why their rivalry with Poison Jam never escalated beyond petty shouting matches.

"Forget it, Beat, she ain't worth our time," Corn said. He turned away from Rapid 99 and began skating back down the dragon sculpture.

Beat backed away from Rapid 99. "You're gonna regret messing with the GGs," he threatened, pointing his finger at her. Rapid 99 was taken aback. Beat lowered his finger and gave her a nasty look before turning away and following Corn down the dragon sculpture.

Rapid 99 was left on her own at the top of the tower. She breathed a sigh of relief that they had left but was worried about the rift she had caused between her and the GGs. She leaned against the railing and became lost in thought.


	9. Chapter 9 – Searching for the Truth

**Chapter 9 – Searching for the Truth  
**

 _Listen up, you're tuned in to Jet Set Radio! As always, I'm your host: DJ Professor K!_

 _The GGs got into a little tussle with Poison Jam the other day. Seems they were told that Poison Jam were the ones who messed with the Goddess, but it turns out that Rapid 99 were just messing with them. They sure fooled the GGs!_

 _Poison Jam aren't happy about Rapid 99's little prank either. They let the GGs off easy this time but now they're becoming bit stricter over who they let skate through their turf. If you're a Rudie, you might want to exercise caution while skating through Kogane._

 _That's all the news for today. Now, feast your ears on these sweet tunes…_

* * *

Beat, Corn, Garam, and Gum listened to the broadcast as they all sat together atop the raised platform in the Garage. They had run out of leads regarding the disappearance of the Goddess and were back to square one.

"I can't believe we let Rapid 99 trick us," Corn said, pacing back an forth. "The other gangs probably think we're gullible morons. Well, not anymore. We're not gonna take what these other gangs tell us without a _mountain_ of salt."

Gum was sitting next to Beat on one of the couches. "We're running out of options. We've confronted almost every gang about the statue and we've still gotten nowhere."

"We can't definitively rule out any of the gangs either," Corn replied. "As far as we know, _any_ of them could be the ones behind the Goddess' disappearance."

"What other gangs haven't we confronted yet?" Beat asked them.

"There's only two gangs we've yet to talk to: the Immortals and the Noise Tanks," Corn responded. "The Immortals are a bunch of dudes who like to dress up as mummies, and the Noise Tanks are a bunch of dudes who like to dress up as robots."

"Man, why do so many gangs like to play dress-up?" Beat quipped.

Garam was taking up the entirety of the other couch. "We might as well talk to those guys, too."

"I dunno, we can't be falling for anyone's tricks again," Corn told them.

"Yeah, yeah," Garam replied. "We don't gotta believe them straight away, but we might as well hear what they have to say."

"Maybe we should split up into two groups to confront both gangs," Beat suggested.

Garam snorted. "Dude, the Immortals aren't a threat to anyone. An _ant_ could take those guys out."

"We should still be cautious," Corn said. "Beat, Gum, and I will confront the Immortals." He turned to Garam. "Garam, you and…" He paused and looked around the Garage. "Hey, where are Rhyth and Yoyo?"

" _We're down here!_ " Rhyth's voice called out from their hiding place underneath the platform.

"Damnit, don't rat us out!" Yoyo scolded her. "Now they're gonna make us go out on that dumb mission of theirs."

"You two, get your butts up here," Corn shouted back at them. "You're hunting down the Noise Tanks with Garam, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Yoyo responded unenthusiastically. He and Rhyth skated out from underneath the platform and joined up with the rest of the gang as they skated towards Benten.

* * *

The GGs skated along the Benten overpass until they made it into the skyscraper district. Taking up the majority of Benten, the skyscraper district housed many of the towers that make up the Benten skyline. Buildings were densely packed together, making it possible for adept (and brave) skaters to leap from rooftop to rooftop. The skyscraper district was also the location of Pharaoh Park, an Egyptian-themed open-air garden high up in the sky that was financed by a wealthy Egyptian man who lived in Tokyo. The park was decorated with pyramids, tombs, vending machines, and display panels — a blend of Ancient Egypt and modern technology. Hieroglyphs were even etched into the walls surrounding the perimeter of the park.

The entrance to Pharaoh Park was connected directly to the overpass. The GGs stopped there to go over their plan.

"Alright, this is where we'll split up," Corn commanded. "The Noise Tanks usually hang out around the skyscraper district, and the Immortals… well, it's pretty obvious where they like to hang out."

"Oh, great," Yoyo said sarcastically. "So _we've_ gotta go looking all around the skyscraper district while _your_ group just has to look in Pharaoh Park?"

"You got a problem with that?" Gum asked.

Garam answered before Yoyo could speak up. "Nope, no problem at all," he replied. He gestured towards Rhyth and Yoyo. "Stop your complaining and let's go."

Yoyo sighed but went along with his group while Corn's group skated into Pharaoh Park.

There weren't many people at Pharaoh Park that day. The pavement in the park was made out of actual limestone blocks which produced a good amount of friction between the ground and their skates.

Beat looked around the park in wonder. "Man, they really went all-out with this place."

Corn pointed ahead to three skaters standing around. They appeared to be the Immortals. "There they are."

"Well that was easy," Gum remarked. "Maybe this _wasn't_ fair to the others."

The group approached the Immortals. The Immortals were a trio of mummy-looking skaters. Their bodies were completely wrapped in linen bandages. Despite being covered from head to toe, they still wore pairs of brown tattered shorts with hieroglyphs on them, held up with gold-coloured suspenders. They also wore bowler hats and adorned themselves with plenty of Egyptian-styled jewelry.

Beat covered his mouth. _Geez, these guys are gross,_ he thought to himself.

"What do you guys want?" one of the Immortals asked them in a raspy voice.

Corn explained the situation to them. "I don't know if you've heard about it, but the Goddess statue in Dogenzaka Hill went missing a few days ago. We were wondering if you knew anything about it."

"We don't know anything about that," the Immortals member answered, crossing his arms.

Corn tried to press them further. "Are you sure? Maybe you've seen one of the other gangs do something suspicious lately?"

"I told you, we don't know anything!" the Immortals member hissed. "We have got more important things to be worrying about than what other gangs are up to."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Gum asked.

"What do you care?" the Immortals member shot back. "You come to our home and question us like we're criminals? None of you treat us like the kings we really are!"

"Uhh, you guys are just a bunch of weirdos who like to dress up as mummies," Beat said.

The Immortals glared at Beat. "Let me educate you on something, punk! We aren't a bunch of nobodies like you guys. We're Egyptian pharaohs, and soon we will be reunited with our ancestors!" He raised his arms to the sky.

The GGs broke out into laughter. Beat wiped the tears from his eyes and continued mocking the Immortals. "Are you guys gonna perform ritualistic suicide or something?"

The Immortals were fuming but still replied. " _We_ will not be going anywhere. Rather, our ancestors will be reborn and return to _us!_ "

The GGs continued laughing at the Immortals.

"If you fools are going to mock us then you can leave," the Immortals member shouted at them. "You will be proven wrong soon enough, and _then_ you will regret mocking us!"

The GGs skated away from the Immortals and back towards the entrance, still chuckling to themselves. None of them had ever conversed with the Immortals before so their ludicrous antics were surprising to them.

"Man, those guys are crazy!" Gum said.

"I guess you _have_ to be pretty crazy to dress up like that," Corn replied.

The group stopped at the entrance.

"Well, what are we gonna do now?" Beat asked Corn.

"Not much we can do but hope that the others get better answers than us," Corn answered. "Until then, we should just bide our time back at the Garage."

"Works for me."

The group skated back onto the overpass and made their way back to the Garage.

* * *

Garam and his group were hopping from rooftop to rooftop in search for the Noise Tanks. The skyscraper district was a large area, and it would take them hours to search it in its entirety. The air at their altitude was chilly, and their hair blew in the wind with every leap across buildings.

Rhyth hesitated before every jump and was slowing down the group. Garam was beginning to get fed up with her. "Why do you gotta take your time before each jump? Just don't look down if that makes it easier for you."

Rhyth had had enough and finally voiced her worries to the others. "Guys, this is really dangerous! We shouldn't be doing this!"

"What are you? Chicken?" Garam teased her.

"What's wrong with being a chicken?" Rhyth replied. "One slip and we could… _die._ "

"Yo, I don't wanna do this either but we gotta get the Goddess back or else the cops will never get off our asses," Yoyo chimed in. "Asking the Noise Tanks about it is our best bet right now."

"There's gotta be a better way," Rhyth pleaded. "Can't we just… call them?"

Garam laughed. "Uh, I don't think their number is in the phone book."

"I'm serious! Isn't there something else we can do?"

"Well, the Noise Tanks don't _only_ hang around the skyscraper district," Yoyo mentioned. "They could be _anywhere_ in Benten. If you're too scared, we could always try looking somewhere that's not so high up."

Rhyth clamped her hands together. "Oh, that'd be great! Where should we go then?"

Yoyo scratched the back of his head. "Uhh, I guess we could try looking around Highway Zero. It's not too far from here. We can get there by taking the overpass."

"Awesome!" Rhyth cheered. "Let's go right now!"

They turned around and began making their way back to where they started. Garam was annoyed that they were turning back. "Fine, if Rhyth is such a wuss…"

Rhyth and Yoyo leaped across to another building, with Garam close behind them. As Garam landed on the building, he slipped and began falling backwards. " _Whoa!_ "

Rhyth and Yoyo quickly grabbed onto his arms and pulled him forwards. They all skated away from the ledge and Garam fell to his knees.

"Oh my god, Garam, that was close!" Rhyth exclaimed, visibly shaken. "Are you okay?"

"Geez… y-yeah, I'm fine," he stuttered. "Maybe Yoyo's idea wasn't so bad."

"Don't scare us like that, dude!" Yoyo said, clutching his chest. "Man, my heart's pounding right now."

"Mine too," Rhyth added. "I can't believe we just saved your life, Garam."

"I know…" Garam muttered as he began to regain his composure.

"Let's just get out of here," Rhyth begged. "And be careful."

Rhyth helped Garam back up to his feet and they continued making their way back to the overpass, taking turns with each leap.

* * *

Garam's group arrived at Highway Zero, which was a major expressway that travelled through Tokyo. Lights and barriers lined the sides of the highway to protect the high-speed traffic from collisions. Nearby was a small shopping district as well as a few residential buildings.

The group hopped off of the overpass and onto the side of the highway. Vehicles whizzed past them as they skated on the side of the road. Buildings surrounded the highway, but eventually they found an alleyway that led them to a small marketplace with many outdoor vendors. The group skated through the busy crowd. Yoyo thought it was odd that there was a marketplace just a few steps away from a major highway. Rhyth's mind was still preoccupied with thoughts of the earlier incident. Strangely, Garam was the one who had already gotten over his near-death experience.

Once again, Rhyth voiced her discomfort to the others. "I'm still shaking from what happened earlier."

"Could you not bring that up again?" Garam asked her. "I'd rather we all just forget it ever happened."

"Oh, uh, sure," Rhyth replied sheepishly. "Sorry."

Rhyth couldn't forget about it though. One of her friends nearly died and that wasn't something that she could just brush off. She didn't understand how Garam of all people was unfazed over it. Was he just desensitized to these sorts of dangers? Even Yoyo didn't seem bothered by it any more. It's not as if she was overreacting or anything. _Someone nearly died!_ Nevertheless, she did as Garam asked and stopped mentioning it.

The group skated to the end of the marketplace where another dark alleyway began. They followed the linear alleyway until they spotted three skaters standing atop a nearby building.

"Yo, there they are!" Yoyo pointed the skaters out as the Noise Tanks.

The Noise Tanks didn't notice them so Garam called out to the gang. " _Hey, we wanna talk to you guys!_ "

This caught the Noise Tanks' attention and they jumped off the building and landed right in front of them. The fall didn't injure them at all.

The Noise Tanks were a group of three who wore what appeared to be white tracksuits with wires and pushbuttons sticking out of them in an attempt to appear robotic. Grey gloves covered their hands, and a thin yellow visor on their metallic helmets looked to be their only means of vision. They also had what seemed to be a small exhaust jet on each of their backs, likely just as intimidating decoration. Even their skates appeared to be attached to their suits to complete the robotic aesthetic.

"What do you want?" one of the Noise Tanks asked them. Their voice sounded artificial, presumably because their suits alter their actual voices.

"We wanted to ask you about something," Garam replied. "There's a statue of a Goddess in Dogenzaka Hill that went missing a few days ago. You heard of it?"

"We know everything that happens in Tokyo," the Noise Tank member answered.

"So you know what happened to it?" Garam asked.

The buttons on the Noise Tanks' suits began to flash with random colours, as if to visualize that they were processing a response. "Yes. The Immortals are in possession of it."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. The Immortals plan on using it in their Egyptian rituals."

Garam grew skeptical of the Noise Tanks' words. "How the hell would you know something like that?"

"We have eyes all over the city," the Noise Tank member responded. "Especially in the Benten district. We keep a close watch on the Immortals."

Garam got the information out of the Noise Tanks too easily. He didn't know if he should believe them, but whether they were lying or not their words were still valuable to the GGs. Besides, if they _were_ telling the truth then Corn and the others would have dug something up about it while interrogating the Immortals.

Garam pointed his finger at the Noise Tanks. "If you guys are lying then the GGs are gonna make you regret it."

"Understood," the Noise Tank member replied stoically.

Garam turned back around to face Rhyth and Yoyo. They had no more business there so they decided to return to the Garage. Hopefully the others finished up their business as well.

* * *

Garam, Rhyth, and Yoyo returned to the Garage to find that Corn and the others were already there. They approached the others and told them what they found out from the Noise Tanks.

Corn rubbed his chin. "The Immortals _did_ mention some weird ritual thing, but everything else about this seems off."

"I know what you mean," Garam said. "I mean, there's no way the Immortals are even strong enough to lift that statue up."

"What would they even need the Goddess for, anyway?" Beat wondered.

"A lot of people believe in weird legends and stuff. Maybe the Immortals think that the Goddess has some kind of spiritual power," Gum suggested. "I mean, it sounds crazy but if we've learned anything about the Immortals today it's that they're crazy."

"If you ask me, this _whole thing_ is crazy," Yoyo chimed in. "The Noise Tanks are totally just messing with us. I mean, you really think they'd try to help us out otherwise?"

Corn nodded. "Yoyo's right. This whole thing just seems too fishy. I don't buy what the Noise Tanks told you guys."

"Well, they were our last lead," Garam said. "We've exhausted all our options and we _still_ have no clue what happened to the Goddess."

Corn shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what else they could do. He knew that what Garam said was true; they had already interrogated every gang, but none of them gave them any answers. He had a feeling that some of the gangs weren't telling them the truth, but there was nothing left for them to go on. For now, the GGs couldn't do anything.


	10. Chapter 10 – Letting Go

**Chapter 10 – Letting Go  
**

Later that day, Rhyth and Yoyo were hanging out together in Rokkaku-dai Heights. The sunbeams in the sky were beginning to disappear as sunset approached. After what the two of them went through earlier, this was a much-needed change of pace.

Garam's near-death back at the skyscraper district was still on Rhyth's mind. She chose to honour Garam's wishes by not telling Corn about it back at the Garage, but now she was wondering if that was the right choice to make. She felt that the other GGs deserved to know about what happened. Maybe if Corn knew about it, she thought, he'd be more careful about what he sends them off to do. That could prevent them from getting into more danger in the future. She decided to ask Yoyo for his thoughts.

"Hey Yoyo, do you think we should have told Corn about what happened back in the skyscraper district?" she asked him.

Yoyo was caught off guard by the question. He wasn't expecting her to bring the matter up again, at least not so suddenly. "Uhh, I dunno. Garam wants us to keep quiet about it."

"I know, but what happened back there was serious," Rhyth replied. "Weren't you shaken up over it too?"

Yoyo looked down at the ground. "Yeah, I was."

"Well you sure didn't look that way."

Yoyo looked back up at Rhyth. "I was just trying to keep my cool, yo," Yoyo responded. "I didn't wanna look like a wuss in front of Garam. He never loses his cool, you know?"

"There's nothing wrong with expressing your true feelings, Yoyo," Rhyth told him.

"It's nothing like that," Yoyo insisted, still trying to keep his cool. "Honestly, the whole thing's not that big of a deal, anyway." He began to skate away.

Rhyth grabbed Yoyo's arm, keeping him in place while giving him a stern look. "Garam almost _died!_ How can you say that it wasn't a big deal?"

"Well… I mean, doing crazy shit is what being a Rudie is all about, yo!" Yoyo replied with a sheepish grin. "Messing with cops, messing with gangs, those are _all_ dangerous!" He sounded unsure of his own words, as if he was desperately making up reasons to justify acting indifferent toward the incident.

"That stuff's not what I signed up for when I joined the GGs," Rhyth said, letting go of Yoyo's arm. "You said that joining would be fun, but you didn't mention that we're expected to risk our _lives._ "

"It _is_ fun!" Yoyo responded. "And what we're doing isn't _that_ dangerous. It's not like we're putting ourselves into any more danger than we'd usually be in. Hell, you could lose your life just by crossing the street if a car hits ya."

"Don't even _try_ to compare jumping across skyscraper rooftops to crossing the street," Rhyth retorted.

Yoyo was fed up with the conversation. "Hey, it was _your_ idea to relax by coming here, but there's nothing relaxing about this discussion. Can we just drop it?"

Rhyth sighed deeply but agreed to drop the conversation. It was true that she wanted to relax, but she was still frustrated with Yoyo for understating the severity of the earlier incident. Did nobody feel the same way as she did?

Despite being friends with the other GGs, she felt like the odd one out of the group. She didn't enjoy messing with the other gangs or getting into trouble with the police, but she tolerated it because she enjoyed the company of the GGs. Her new friendships weren't worth putting her life at risk though, and with increasing tensions between them and the police it seemed like her life was in greater danger than ever before. How long could she tolerate it?

The two of them continued skating along the dirt path in silence, letting the atmosphere calm their nerves. Yoyo eventually broke the silence and asked Rhyth, "So why do you like skating around here so much?"

Rhyth was glad that Yoyo changed the subject to something she was happy to talk about. "Well, I grew up here," she replied. "Coming here reminds me of my youth. I can't help but be nostalgic for it."

"This place ain't _that_ old," Yoyo remarked. "Wasn't it built, like, only a decade ago?"

"Okay, I spent _most_ of my childhood here," Rhyth specified. "I think my family were one of the first to move in. I can't even remember anything from before we moved here, so all of my childhood memories still belong to this place."

"Didn't your childhood suck though? Why would you want to be reminded of it?"

"It didn't _suck;_ it was just…" She struggled to find the right words. "It was a bit… _rough_ at times, but I still have very fond memories of it."

"I guess, but you gotta let go of your past _eventually,_ " Yoyo said. "You keep asking to come here so it seems like you're still super-attached to this place."

"What's wrong with that? I just feel more comfortable here."

"Even with Poison Jam hanging around?"

"They've never bothered me before."

"Lucky you."

Yoyo still didn't quite understand Rhyth's love for the area, but Rhyth felt that she had explained it as best as she could. To her, it was simply a matter of sentimentalism. Her past may have been hard, but it was still a part of her life that she cherished. Unlike the other GGs who wanted to forget and move on from their pasts, she wanted to cling to hers as much as she could which is why she frequently came to Rokkaku-dai, her childhood neighbourhood. This was something that Yoyo — who hated his childhood — couldn't relate to.

While in the middle of their conversation, the two of them were quietly approached by a small dog. Rhyth was the first to notice and kneeled down to pet it. "Oh, Potts, where'd _you_ come from?"

"You know that dog?" Yoyo asked her.

"Yeah, I used to see him all the time back when I was homeless. He's always wandering around the area."

Yoyo kneeled down as well to get a closer look at the dog. The boxer dog didn't have a collar on, so Yoyo figured that it must be a stray. He knew that Tokyo had recently been having a problem with stray animals, but he'd rarely spotted any himself. He figured that it must only be a problem in Kogane, a district that he rarely frequented until he joined the GGs.

"Where'd you get the name Potts from?" he asked Rhyth.

"I came up with it myself. Isn't it a cute name?"

"I guess. Kinda weird that you named some random dog though."

Potts began licking Yoyo. He had always wanted a pet dog but his parents would never let him have one. This gave him an idea.

"Hey, we should bring him back to the Garage and keep him as a pet!" he suggested.

"Do you think the others will mind having a dog around?" Rhyth wondered.

"Who _wouldn't_ want a dog around?" Yoyo quipped.

Rhyth smiled. "Good point. Let's bring him back with us."

It didn't take much effort to convince Potts to follow them all the way back to the Garage. He seemed to already have some affection for Rhyth — presumably due to their previous encounters — and was following closely behind her. Occasionally he would walk up to Yoyo and sniff him for a bit.

The group arrived back at the Garage. Beat and Gum were away, so the only people who were there to greet them were Corn and Garam Corn watched from atop the raised platform as Potts quickly left Rhyth's side to run around the Garage.

"Hey, what are you guys doing bringing a dog back with you?" Corn shouted at them.

"Yo, can we keep it? _Pleeeeeaase?_ " Yoyo begged.

"His name is Potts," Rhyth mentioned. "Can we please keep him?"

Corn groaned. "I don't usually refuse new recruits, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting a _dog_ to join us."

"Is that a yes?" Yoyo asked.

Corn sighed. "Fine, we can keep it."

" _Yes!_ " Yoyo shouted ecstatically as he fist-pumped the air.

Potts approached Garam who was sitting in the shade beneath the raised platform. "Cool, I've always wanted a pet dog." Garam remarked. Despite the fact that he lived in Kogane before joining the GGs, he never crossed paths with the dog before. Potts began licking his face which grossed him out a bit. "You should maybe give this little guy a bath. He was probably rolling around in garbage all day. He sure smells like it."

"Wait, that reminds me…" Corn hopped off of the platform and skated up to the pile of garbage laying around the Garage. He searched through the pile and pulled out a plastic dog kennel. "I _knew_ some of this stuff would come in handy."

Rhyth skated up to Corn with a disapproving look on her face. "Don't keep Potts in a crate! He's used to being in the wild; he needs lots of space to be comfortable."

"I'm not gonna _force_ him into it, but it'll be here if he ever wants to sleep in it or something," Corn responded. He pointed two of his fingers at both Rhyth and Yoyo. "And since you two brought him here, you two are gonna be primarily responsible for taking care of him."

"No problem!" Yoyo replied confidently.

Corn continued. "That includes scooping up his shit and giving him baths, which you should probably do right now."

Yoyo's facial expression suddenly changed from one of pure joy to one of slight discontent. He was clearly not keen on taking on those responsibilities. Rhyth didn't seem to mind however, as she carried Potts into a discarded tub that was lying around outside near the other garbage. As long as _someone_ was taking on those duties, Corn was happy.

"Um… is there a hose around here?" Rhyth asked Corn.

* * *

The sun had already set as Beat and Gum were skating through the Shibuya bus terminal. The nightlife was as busy as ever around the terminal, with busses frequently coming and going to drop people off. The two of them had just gone out to grab a bite together — something which was beginning to become a frequent routine — and were making their way back to the Garage.

The two of them stopped at the side of a scramble intersection, waiting to cross the street. Once the traffic lights signaled the cars to stop, pedestrians flooded the entire intersection and began walking every which way. Beat and Gum waded through the crowd and continued on their way.

Gum pulled out a pack of bubble gum and popped one into her mouth. She began to chew on it, occasionally blowing large bubbles before popping them with her lips.

"Things seem to have died down around the bus terminal," Beat mentioned. "No more gangs messing around and causing trouble for us."

"Yeah, it looks like the Love Shockers stopped spraying their tags all over the place," Gum replied, still chewing her bubble gum.

"I guess this turf is as good as ours then, eh?"

"Yeah…" Gum blew one last bubble before spitting her gum into a nearby trashcan. "I didn't expect them to back down so easily."

"I guess your little meeting with them helped out after all," Beat remarked. "It may not have brought us closer to retrieving the Goddess, but at least it got those girls to leave us alone."

Gum recalled her confrontation with the Love Shockers from a few days ago. _I guess they weren't lying when they said they'd leave us alone,_ Gum thought to herself. _What's going on with them? It's not like them to give in so easily._

"Hey, didn't one of the Love Shockers say that you two have a history?" Beat called back to mind. "What was she talking about?"

Gum rolled her eyes. "She was overstating the relationship that we had. We were merely… acquaintances."

"How'd you guys meet?"

Gum sighed. Beat's questions were becoming increasingly uncomfortable for her to answer. "I used to go to the same all-girls academy as them. We'd chat occasionally, but we weren't close friends or anything."

"So you knew them before you knew Corn?" Beat recalled that Gum stated she'd met Corn last summer during the school break.

"Yeah."

"Weird," Beat replied. "So what made you want to start a gang with him instead of with the Love Shockers?"

"I already told you, I don't want to talk about that stuff," Gum grumbled. "I'd rather leave the past in the past."

Beat was tired of people being so secretive about their pasts. Was it an unwritten rule that Rudies weren't supposed to talk about that stuff? He skated in front of her and stopped, cutting her off. "Why are you so hesitant to talk about your past? I'm not scared to talk about _my_ past. Here, I'll tell you about it right now: I was a deadbeat loser who never accomplished anything in his life and whose parents _hated_ him! See, it ain't so hard!"

Gum pushed him out of her way. "Not everyone's like you, Beat. I'm not as open about my past as you are, and if that's bothering you so much then… well, tough shit." She skated past him.

Beat sighed. Whatever it was that Gum was hiding, she wasn't going to divulge it so easily. But her constant rejections were only making him more curious. Was her past really that bad, or was she just being difficult? Regardless, there was no way he was going to convince her to spill the beans. He'd just have to leave it alone.

They both continued making their way back to the Garage, Beat following just a step behind Gum.


	11. Chapter 11 – In Over My Head

**Chapter 11 – In Over My Head**

 _Welcome back! This is DJ Professor K and you're once again tuned in to Jet Set Radio!_

 _We just got word that the Immortals got into a fight with the Noise Tanks late last night. No clue on what sparked the fight, but it didn't end too well for the Immortals. No surprise there, right? Hahahah!_

 _But that ain't the only scrap that took place the other day. Poison Jam got into a scuffle too, this time with a lone Rudie who was skating through their turf. Naturally, Poison Jam had the edge over that poor sucker. And now they've really had enough! If they catch any more Rudies skating through their turf, they ain't gonna let 'em off without a fight! If you're a Rudie, you'd best steer clear of Kogane._

 _Things are getting pretty uneasy on the streets. Everyone's on edge and taking out their frustrations on each other. Stay safe out there, folks! And now, back to the tunes…_

* * *

The GGs were listening to the broadcast together in the Garage, as usual. They were sitting together underneath the raised platform, basking in the shade during the warm spring afternoon. When DJ Professor K warned them not to venture into Kogane, Rhyth became visibly upset.

"Does this mean that we can't go to Rokkaku-dai Heights anymore?" she asked the others.

"That's what Poison Jam wants us to think," Gum replied. "Weak threats have never stopped us before."

"Except they actually got into a fight with some Rudie," Beat mentioned. "It doesn't sound like a weak threat to me; it sounds like they actually mean business now."

"Well, whatever," Gum brushed it off. "It's not like we have a reason to visit that dump anyway."

The news saddened Rhyth. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to skate around Rokkaku-dai Heights anymore, and nobody else seemed to mind it. They didn't have an attachment to the place like she did.

Corn was absorbed in thought ever since the broadcast ended. He finally shared what was on his mind with the others: "What do you guys think that fight with the Immortals and the Noise Tanks was about? It can't just be a coincidence that they got into a fight right after we'd spoken to both of them."

Most of the others shrugged their shoulders, not sure what to make of it.

"Maybe there was some truth to what the Noise Tanks told us," Gum reckoned. "Maybe the Immortals _do_ have the Goddess,"

"Or maybe the Noise Tanks were lying to us and the Immortals found out about it," Yoyo suggested. "Wouldn't _you_ want to beat up some punks who were spreading lies about ya?"

"I'm still skeptical about this whole thing," Corn said as he stood up in front of the other GGs. "I mean, none of this really makes any sense. Maybe we should confront the Immortals again."

Beat stood up as well. "No way, man. We can't let ourselves get fooled again."

"Trust me, I know," Corn replied. "It ain't gonna happen again. All we're gonna do is ask them what their fight with the Noise Tanks was about. We're not even gonna mention the Goddess; that way they won't think that's what we're there for."

Beat shrugged his shoulders. "I guess…" He was acting just a bit overcautious after being fooled by Rapid 99.

"Look, we've got nothing else to do, right?" Corn looked at Gum and nodded. She got the message and stood up next to Corn. He looked back at Beat. "You coming or what?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Beat followed the two of them as they skated onto the overpass and made their way towards Pharaoh Park. The rest of the GGs continued to sit in the Garage.

Yoyo moved closer to Rhyth who still seemed saddened. "Yo, you're really bummed about that Rokkaku-dai thing, aren't you?"

Rhyth nodded. "You know how much that place means to me, Yoyo. If I can't go there anymore, then…" Her voice trailed off as she struggled to think of what to say.

Garam chuckled. "You worry too much; you know that? Poison Jam like to talk big, but they ain't so tough. They used to hate it when I'd skate around the sewers, but eventually they left me alone. They'll do the same to you, too."

"Are you sure?" Rhyth asked him. "I don't wanna get into a fight with them or anything."

"If it worries you so much, I'll come with you," Garam offered. "If they see me with you, they'll know to leave you alone."

"You'd do that for me?" Rhyth clamped her hands together and smiled. "Thank you so much!"

Garam smirked. "It's no big deal. You wanna head over there now?"

"Sure!" Rhyth stood up. "Are you coming too, Yoyo?"

"Nah," Yoyo replied as he laid down on his back. "That place gets boring after a while." He enjoyed spending time with Rhyth; he only wished he could spend time with her somewhere else.

Rhyth was a bit disappointed by his reply but was still happy enough that Garam was going to be with her. Garam lead the way as he and Rhyth skated together towards Rokkaku-dai Heights. Yoyo, left on his own in the Garage, stood up and approached the pinball machine.

"All alone, no distractions…" He cracked his knuckles. "Time to beat my high score!"

* * *

Garam escorted Rhyth to Rokkaku-dai Heights. Rhyth's usual collectedness was replaced with unease. They both looked around but Poison Jam were nowhere to be seen.

"See, this ain't no big deal," Garam assured her.

Garam's words weren't enough to truly dispel her worries. "Will you stay with me, just to be sure?" Rhyth asked him.

"Well, I got nothing better to do," Garam replied.

Garam skated ahead of Rhyth — not too far ahead so as to not worry her — and began doing grind tricks on the park benches in a nearby playground. He then climbed on top of a run-down shack and jumped off of it, doing a 180-degree turn and landing backwards on top of a beat-up car before rolling back down to the ground. He continued in this manner for some time, ignorant to what Rhyth was doing. He became so lost in his skating that when he decided to take a short break he found himself further away from Rhyth than he intended. He sat down on one of the benches and waited for her to catch up. As Rhyth approached him, he realized that all she was doing was skating slowly along the dirt path.

"Yo Rhyth," he called out to her. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, I'm just enjoying the scenery," she shouted back.

"Yeah, I can see that," he replied. "Why aren't you doing anything fun like jumping across gaps and stuff?"

Rhyth caught up to him and they began skating together side by side.

"I dunno, I'm not into that kind of skating."

"Then why the hell did you want to come here so badly? I thought it was 'cause you knew some cool lines here or something."

"No, that's not really the kind of skating that I like to do."

Garam was dumbfounded. _Man, this girl is boring,_ he thought to himself. _Why the hell did she become a Rudie?_

The two of them froze as they heard the sound of an approaching skater.

"Oh no! Poison Jam!" Rhyth squealed.

Garam braced himself for a fight, but as the skater approached them they realized that it wasn't a member of Poison Jam. The skater was, in fact, a girl. The dark-skinned woman was wearing an orange top with black sleeves and an exposed midriff, along with orange pants. She also wore gloves and a headband, both blue. The woman's blonde dreadlocks were secured in a ponytail.

"Hey, you guys gotta get outta here," the skater told them in a stern tone of voice. "Poison Jam aren't letting Rudies skate through here anymore, and if they catch you guys they'll mess you up."

Rhyth gasped, believing that her worries were coming true.

Garam smiled smugly. "I've dealt with Poison Jam before. They know not to mess with me."

"You think you're the only one whose dealt with them before?" the skater asked him. "Hell, just the other day I got into a fight with them and they were serious when they told me that I wasn't welcome here anymore. That's why I'm getting the hell out of Kogane, and you guys should, too."

"Girl, you need to chill out," Garam told her. "You're seriously overreacting. Poison Jam aren't a big deal."

"Don't call me 'girl,'" she snapped at him. "And trust me, if I didn't think that my life was in danger I wouldn't be going anywhere. Kogane was my home, but I ain't risking dealing with Poison Jam again. If you wanna stick around then go ahead, but it's your funeral."

"Where are you gonna go?" Rhyth asked her.

"I dunno, but I'll figure something out," the skater answered. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a new place."

"Well… you could always live with us," Rhyth offered her. "The GGs, I mean."

Garam liked Rhyth's idea; it would mean one more woman in the gang. "Yeah, yeah, you should totally join the GGs!"

"You guys are GGs?" The skater thought about it for a moment. "Well, I've got nowhere else to go, so sure. My name's Boogie." She reached out her hand for a handshake.

Garam and Rhyth introduced themselves as they shook her hand. Rhyth was happy to have a new friend, but if what Boogie said was true then it truly wasn't safe for her to skate in Rokkaku-dai, even with Garam at her side.

Just then, as the group were getting to know each other, three large silhouettes leaped from atop a nearby building and landed around them. The group quickly turned to face the figures.

" _Poison Jam!_ " Rhyth shrieked.

" _Shit!_ " Boogie exclaimed. "Let's get outta here!"

Boogie and Rhyth began to skate away but Garam stood still. He was the only one of the group who appeared calm. "No way, I can deal with these punks."

Boogie and Rhyth stopped in their tracks, not wanting to abandon Garam. They stared at Poison Jam who were hunched over menacingly. Rhyth had seen them a few times before but something about them seemed different this time; they were never this threatening before.

One of them stepped forward. "Did you punks not get the message?" He glanced at Boogie, recognizing her from their previous encounter. " _Guh,_ I guess you idiots never learn. Now, this is your final warning: beat it, _or else!_ "

Garam stood his ground. "I ain't afraid of you guys," he told them. "If you wanna mess with us, you're gonna have to get through me."

Poison Jam snickered among each other. Without warning, one of the members of Poison Jam rushed up to Garam and grabbed him by the throat with both hands, lifting him up into the air. Garam panicked as his feet dangled off the ground. He tried kicking Poison Jam with his skates, but his kicks were ineffective. Poison Jam tightened his grip on Garam's neck, making it impossible for him to escape it. Garam's face was turning colour as he began to suffocate.

Rhyth screamed. " _No! Let him go!_ " She recoiled in fear, backing herself up against a chain-link fence.

Boogie rushed up to Poison Jam and kicked him in the side of his stomach. Her kick didn't faze him either, and the two other members of Poison Jam quickly surrounded her. One of them punched her in the gut, causing her to fall to her knees in pain. Their large bodies towered over her as one of them pushed her head down into the dirt.

Rhyth's eyes were welling up with tears. Her fingers gripped the steel wires of the fence as she desperately screamed at Poison Jam: " _Let them go! Please, we'll leave you alone, just let them go!_ "

Poison Jam released his grip on Garam's neck, letting him fall to the ground. "Just this once, we'll do the little girl a favour, _gahah._ "

Garam laid on the pavement, coughing and rubbing his neck. Rhyth was still too afraid of Poison Jam's presence to check if he and Boogie were okay.

The members of Poison Jam backed away from Garam and Boogie. One of them spoke up: "Is that enough of a lesson for you punks? Hopefully now you've learned to keep off our turf, 'cause next time we won't hold back, _gahah!_ " They turned around and skated away, leaving Boogie and Garam in the dirt.

Rhyth wiped the tears from her eyes and quickly skated up to Garam, falling to her knees next to him. " _Garam! Are you okay?_ "

Garam's neck was red from being choked and he could barely speak through his coughing fit. "I… didn't expect them to be that… tough." His voice was raspy.

Boogie got back up to her feet, still clutching her stomach from the pain of the gut punch. "I told you; Poison Jam are serious. I don't know what it is, but they've been a lot more aggressive recently. We shouldn't be coming back here anymore."

"I'm just glad that both of you are okay," Rhyth said in relief. Her turquoise eyeliner had run down her cheeks. She looked down at Garam. "Garam, I'm so sorry. We never should have come here."

Garam's voice was beginning to recover. "Hey, don't apologize. Coming here was _my_ idea, not yours."

"But I should have known that Poison Jam would come after us," Rhyth replied. "It was selfish of me to pity you into coming here with me."

Garam got up to his knees. "Rhyth, I'm serious. None of this was your fault. I should have run away with you guys when we had the chance. _I_ messed up, alright? Now let's get the hell out of here."

Rhyth helped him back up to his feet.

"And don't think I won't get back at Poison Jam for this!" he declared with conviction.

"Are you serious?" Rhyth exclaimed. "They'll just beat you up again! They might even _kill_ you!"

"They caught me off guard this time, that's all," he said confidently. "Next time, things will be different."

Rhyth looked over to Boogie. "Boogie, tell him he's crazy!"

"He's crazy," Boogie replied, "but he's old enough to make his own mistakes. As I said earlier, it's his funeral. Now, can you guys lead me to your hangout spot?"

Rhyth couldn't believe it. This was the second day in a row that Garam's life was in danger, but he still hadn't learned a thing. He was still behaving with complete disregard for his own safety, either due to his sense of pride or his stupidity. Even Boogie wouldn't back her up on this. She was worried that one day he would get himself into serious trouble, or worse…

* * *

Corn and his group arrived at Pharaoh Park. Unlike the previous day, the park was populated with many people walking around the premises. The Immortals were in their usual spot in the center of the park, chatting among each other. The GGs skated through the entrance.

"Now remember, don't mention the Goddess at all," Corn reminded Beat and Gum. "We're just asking them about their fight with the Noise Tanks."

"Got it," Beat and Gum said in understanding.

They began approaching the Immortals, but before they could get close the Immortals spotted them and darted in the opposite direction.

"Hey, they're running away!" Beat exclaimed.

" _After them!_ " Corn shouted.

The group made chase, weaving through the crowded park while keeping their eyes on the direction the Immortals were heading. The Immortals were frantically looking around the park for an easy getaway, but the only available means of escape was through the entrance. They looped around the entire park towards the entrance, with the GGs still close behind them. Skating towards the greater skyscraper district, they split up and went in opposite directions, leaping onto different rooftops.

"Shit, they split up!" Gum exclaimed.

Corn's eyes narrowed. "Then we will, too. Everyone, split up and be careful!" he ordered.

The GGs split up, each chasing after a different Immortal. The thought of jumping across rooftops made Beat nervous, but he was determined to get information out of the Immortals. It was clear that they were hiding something from them, and this was his chance to make up for what happened with Rapid 99. He wouldn't let the Immortals get away from him.

As Beat chased after the Immortal, a skater watched him from afar atop the roof of a nearby building. The skater waited for all of the Immortals to skate away into the distance before they themselves took off towards the park.

* * *

Rhyth and Garam returned to the Garage, bringing Boogie along with them. Yoyo, still playing on the pinball machine, turned to look at them and noticed Rhyth's running eyeliner. He left the pinball machine and quickly skated over to the group.

"Yo, what happened?" he asked, ignoring Boogie and Garam's condition.

Rhyth, still shaken up, explained the situation while introducing him to Boogie.

"Shit, I guess Poison Jam really meant business. Are you alright?" he asked Rhyth.

"Rhyth's not the one you should be worrying about, dude," Garam told Yoyo, his voice beginning to return to normal. "She's the only one who _didn't_ get beat up by Poison Jam." He skated into the hotel building to get himself a glass of water to help soothe his sore throat.

Rhyth felt the need to answer Yoyo anyway. "I'm fine, thanks for asking." She followed Garam into the hotel to clean off her makeup.

Boogie skated into the courtyard and laid down on the ground, still clutching her stomach. While she was staring up at the sky, Potts approached her and began licking her face. She recognized him and sat up. "Hey, when'd you guys take this pup in?"

"Just the other day," Yoyo answered. "Rhyth said that she used to see him all the time around Kogane. I'm guessing you used to see him too?"

"Yeah, here and there," Boogie replied vaguely.

"His name is Potts," Yoyo told her. "Rhyth came up with it."

"That's a cute name," Boogie responded while rubbing Potts' stomach. Playing with Potts helped to distract her from the pain she still felt in her stomach.

Garam returned to the courtyard with a glass of water and skated to the top of the raised platform. He took a drink from the cup before placing it on the floor and lying on one of the couches. He closed his eyes and relaxed, his body slowly becoming less tense.

"So, where's the rest of the gang?" Boogie asked, still fooling around with Potts.

Yoyo returned to the pinball machine and continued playing. "They had important business matters to attend to," he replied with a smirk.


	12. Chapter 12 – Lost and Found

**Chapter 12 – Lost and Found**

Beads of sweat were running down Beat's face as he chased down one of the Immortals high up in the chilly air. Despite the Immortal being wrapped in bandages, he was still very mobile. Beat's breathing steadily increased during the chase. He was beginning to tire whereas the Immortal showed no signs of slowing down. _Dammit, I can't keep going on like this,_ Beat thought to himself. His legs felt like they were about to buckle and he was worried that if he kept leaping across rooftops he'd eventually miss a jump and fall to his death.

The Immortal leaped across yet another rooftop, Beat not too far behind him. He skated to the other end of the rooftop before realizing that there were no nearby rooftops for him to jump to; it was a dead end. He looked back but Beat was coming right for him.

This was Beat's chance. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, he rushed towards the Immortal and tackled him to the ground. The Immortal fell onto his back with Beat sitting on top of his body, mere inches away from the edge. His breathing became deeper.

Beat grabbed the Immortal's suspenders and pulled him closer to his face. "You guys thought you could run away? _Huh?_ "

The Immortal didn't give a reply.

"So, are you the leader or what?" Beat asked him. "I can't tell any of you freaks apart."

Again, the Immortal refused to give an answer.

Beat was becoming visibly annoyed. He knew that there was no point in acting coy to the Immortals anymore; they clearly knew that the GGs were suspicious of them.

"Alright, let's cut the shit; what did you punks do to the Goddess?" Beat asked him.

The Immortal finally spoke, but still refused to answer Beat: "I don't have to tell you anything."

Adrenaline continued to rush through Beat. He pulled the Immortal by his suspenders and hung his head over the edge of the building. His bowler hat fell off of his head and began drifting down to the streets below.

"Are you gonna tell me _now?_ " Beat yelled in the Immortal's face.

The Immortal chuckled. "You cannot fool me. I know that you do not have the capacity to murder." His voice was oddly calm.

"You wanna take that risk?" Beat's grip on the Immortal's suspenders tightened.

"It does not matter what you do. Whatever happens, I will still be reunited with my ancestors."

"Do you _really_ believe that bullshit?"

The Immortal let out a grunt. "I am so sick of nonbelievers getting in the way of our progress. Why can't you Rudies just let us be? What we are doing does not concern any of you." He began to squirm but Beat shifted his weight onto him to restrain him.

"The Goddess is missing; that _does_ concern us."

"Well what we are using it for does _not_ concern you!"

Finally, the answer Beat was looking for. " _Ha!_ So the Noise Tanks were right: you guys _did_ take it!"

"Is that all that they told you?" the Immortal asked him. "It figures that they would leave out some crucial information."

"What do you mean?"

The Immortal smirked. "The Noise Tanks were the ones who gave us the idea to harness the Goddess' spiritual energy in the first place, and they were even kind enough to transport it to us."

"Yeah, right," Beat replied sarcastically. "They wouldn't have told us that you guys had the Goddess if they were helping you all along."

"Exactly!" the Immortal exclaimed. "Do you not get it? They are benefitting from this somehow."

Beat still didn't believe him. "I don't care what their motives are, as long as they're helping us out."

"Do you really think that they are on your side?" The Immortal scoffed at Beat. "They are merely using you, just like Rapid 99 did."

" _Shut up!_ " Beat shouted. "They gave us the information we were looking for, so there was a mutual benefit."

The Immortal began to lose his temper. " _You imbecile!_ They are the reason that you lost your precious statue in the first place!" He regained his composure. "And regardless, the statue isn't going anywhere."

Beat punched the Immortal square in the jaw. The Immortal slowly turned his head back to face Beat.

"What are you trying to accomplish here?" the Immortal asked him in a creaky voice. "I have already embraced death. There is nothing you can do to get us to relinquish the Goddess."

Beat's hands shook. He had tried all that he could but he still couldn't get the Immortal to tell him where the Goddess was. He reluctantly released his grip from the Immortal and stood up. The Immortal quickly crawled away from Beat, returning to his feet once he reached a safe distance from the edge of the roof. He took one last look at Beat whose back was turned to face him. Without saying anything more he skated away, leaving Beat alone staring at the city skyline.

* * *

Beat skated along the Benten overpass, ruminating on what had just transpired. He didn't really know why he let the Immortal go. He finally had the opportunity to prove himself but he let it slip away. Interrogating someone who feared nothing just seemed hopeless.

Beat hadn't seen Corn and Gum since the group split up, but he didn't have the courage to face them after he had just let one of the Immortals get away from him. This was his chance to make up for what happened with Rapid 99 and he blew it. _Why am I even surprised?_ he thought to himself. _Maybe I'm just destined to always screw things up._

He returned to the Garage. Garam and Yoyo didn't expect him to return by himself.

"Yo, where's Corn and Gum?" Yoyo asked him, still playing the pinball machine.

"Probably out getting the Goddess back," Beat replied thoughtlessly.

Garam sat up on the couch. "Shouldn't you be helping them?"

"They don't need my help," Beat replied as he skated up the raised platform sat down on the other couch. "Hell, they're probably better off without me."

"Damn, dude, you sound depressed," Garam told him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Beat replied. Inside though, he felt dejected. When he first became a Rudie and joined the GGs, he wasn't just looking for a place to live: he was also looking for an opportunity to make something of himself. He saw joining the GGs as that opportunity, and yet all he had done is let his gang down. Maybe his expectations of being a Rudie were misguided. Maybe it was wrong to think that being a Rudie meant more than just getting into petty fights with other gangs. He wondered what being a Rudie meant to the others.

"Uhh, hey, can I ask you guys something?" he spoke to everyone in the Garage. "What made you all want to become Rudies?"

Yoyo turned towards Beat and leaned on the pinball machine. "Well, my parents sucked and I just wanted to run away from home," he answered. "I read up on Rudie culture and it all looked super cool, so I asked my parents for a pair of skates for my birthday. And they actually got me them! _Suckers!_ "

"Your parents don't sound _that_ bad," Garam commented.

"Nah, they were totally jerks," Yoyo assured him.

"Were they _really_ jerks or did you just like to _think_ they were jerks because they didn't like your shitty behaviour?" Beat asked Yoyo.

"Well, I guess I _was_ a bit of a troublemaker," Yoyo replied while scratching the back of his head. "But they were still jerks!"

Beat knew that Yoyo would never admit to unfairly judging his parents. _Maybe I was unfair to my parents, too,_ he thought to himself. "So, what did you hope to accomplish by running away from home?" he asked Yoyo.

"I dunno, man. I just wanted to be able to do whatever I want," Yoyo responded. "What's wrong with that?"

Beat chuckled. "It's not like my reasons for running away from home were much better." He turned to face Garam. "What about you, man?"

"I didn't run away from home; I moved out on my own," Garam answered. "And I became a Rudie because I thought the culture was cool. I used to see people skate past me on the streets and it made me want to live that life, you know? No rules, free to do whatever you want."

"Exactly!" Yoyo exclaimed.

"You've got the right idea, man," Beat told Garam. "You became a Rudie just because it looked fun." He slumped in his seat. "I don't know why I expected it to change my life."

"Well, we got this cool new place to live in and made a bunch of new friends so I'd say that becoming Rudies _did_ change our lives," Yoyo argued.

"What I meant was that it's not really something I can be proud of; you know?" Beat clarified. "I mean, all I've done is spray graffiti and get into fights. That's nothing special."

"You don't think becoming a GG is in itself an accomplishment?" Garam asked him.

"Not really," Beat replied.

Boogie finally spoke up from underneath the platform, startling Beat who didn't even know she was there: "I was living out on my own too, but I first became a Rudie because I thought that we'd be taking part in a huge uprising against the Rokkaku Government. Thinking back, that was pretty naïve of me." She sighed. "Oh well, I can't say that being a Rudie hasn't been a fun experience."

Beat stood up from the couch and peeked underneath the platform. "Where'd you come from?"

"That's Boogie," Garam explained. "She joined the gang while you were gone."

"See, _this_ is why I don't think that joining the GGs is an accomplishment," Beat pointed out. "Nobody is ever rejected from joining us!"

"Thanks for the warm welcome," Boogie said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Beat apologized to her. "And it's nice to meet you." He looked around the Garage and noticed that Rhyth wasn't around. "Where's Rhyth?"

"She went to skate around Shibuya," Yoyo answered.

"Uhh, is it safe for her to do that with the cops after us?" Beat wondered.

"I doubt the cops would hurt a sixteen-year-old girl," Yoyo replied.

A thought crossed Beat's mind. "I think I'll head out there, too."

"You gonna go look for Rhyth?" Yoyo asked him.

"Nah, I'm just gonna skate around on my own for a bit," Beat answered.

"Didn't ya just say that it was too dangerous?" Yoyo pointed out.

"Don't worry, the cops wouldn't beat up a little girl so Beat should be fine!" Garam joked.

Boogie and Yoyo laughed. Beat told Garam to shut up before skating down the platform and leaving the Garage, heading towards Shibuya.

* * *

Corn was running out of breath as he continued to chase one of the Immortals. They had led him all over the skyscraper district and seemed to be making their way back to Pharaoh Park. _If he's running back to Pharaoh Park, I'll make sure he doesn't escape again,_ Corn thought.

Suddenly, a second Immortal leaped over from a nearby building and regrouped with the other one. Close behind him was Gum who stopped and skated over to Corn. Together, they watched both Immortals skate into Pharaoh Park.

"Why did they go back to Pharaoh Park?" Gum wondered.

"I dunno, but now's our chance to catch them," Corn replied.

They both followed the Immortals into Pharaoh Park. In the center of the park was an Egyptian-themed gyro tower. An observation deck spun around the tower's mast as the platform rose up the mast before lowering back down to the bottom. As the ride returned to the ground, the doors of the observation deck opened to let new passengers onto the ride. The Immortals took this opportunity to climb onto the roof of the observation deck. Corn and Gum stopped in front of the ride to look up at the Immortals, wondering what they were up to. As they watched, a third Immortal skated past them and joined his gang at the top of the deck. Gum noticed that he wasn't wearing a hat. "Hey, wasn't Beat supposed to be chasing after that one?" she wondered aloud.

Corn skated forward and yelled at the Immortals: "Nice try, but that ride ain't gonna take you anywhere. You've got nowhere to go."

The Immortal without a hat spoke back: "We beg to differ. Everything is in place so that once this tower rises to the sky, our ancestors will be reborn!"

Gum snorted. "It's just a dumb amusement park ride!"

The doors of the observation deck closed. The Immortals stood triumphantly as the observation deck started to spin and rise up the tower. They raised their arms into the air and began chanting Egyptian words, as if they were beckoning to the sky. Corn and Gum stood by, utterly stupefied.

The observation deck reached the top of the tower's mast and after a moment began to slowly lower itself. As it did, Corn and Gum watched the Immortals return to the ground with confused looks on their faces.

" _What!?_ " one of the Immortals exclaimed. " _Why did nothing happen!?_ "

"The Noise Tanks must have left something out," one of the other Immortals replied.

"I _knew_ that they could not be trusted!" the hatless Immortal said in a frustrated tone.

" _Hey!_ " Corn shouted at the Immortals to catch their attention. "Now that you know your theory is bullshit, can we _please_ get our Goddess back?"

The Immortals turned to face him. "You need to learn to not be so disrespectful!" one of them screeched at Corn, pointing their finger at him.

"Hey, _you're_ the ones being disrespectful by stealing our Goddess," Gum retorted.

The Immortals jumped off of the ride and landed in front of Corn and Gum. "It's not like you punks were using it for anything!" one of them said.

"Well you guys have no use for it now either," Corn replied.

The Immortals smirked. "We are not done with it yet. There are still a few more rituals we have yet to try, and we will not have you punks messing with them!"

Corn rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'm done being friendly with you guys. If you guys aren't gonna give us back the Goddess, we'll just have to take it back by force." He put up his fists. Gum braced herself for a fight as well.

The hatless Immortal chuckled. "Try what you will, but the location of your Goddess will never be revealed to you!"

Suddenly, a voice shouted out to the group. They all turned towards the direction of the voice. Atop an Egyptian tomb complex was the leader of Rapid 99. She hopped off of the building and landed in front of its entrance. "They're hiding the Goddess in this tomb."

The Immortals flipped out. " _You are not allowed to enter the tomb!_ " they shouted at her.

Rapid 99 smirked. "It's a good thing the GGs distracted you losers long enough for me to check this place out. You guys couldn't find a better hiding spot?"

Corn and Gum looked at each other before they began to approach the tomb. The Immortals tried to stop them in their tracks, but they were easily pushed out of the way. They peered into the tomb. There, in the dark tomb, was the Goddess in one piece.

"Holy shit," Gum exclaimed. "This is it! We found it!"

Corn and Gum turned around and faced the Immortals who were furious but ultimately powerless. The Immortals began to back away from the group. "Just leave," they grumbled at the group. "Take what you will and leave." The Immortals, knowing that they couldn't take on the GGs, skated away in retreat.

Corn watched as the Immortals cowered away from their own turf before he looked back at Rapid 99. "Since when were you in on our plans?"

Rapid 99 grinned. "I saw you guys skating towards the skyscraper district and I wanted to know what was up. So I stalked you guys for a bit, and when you all started chasing after the Immortals I had a feeling that they were the ones behind the Goddess disappearing. So while you guys were out playing tag with the Immortals, I searched the place for clues. Needless to say, what I found was even better."

"But why did you decide to help us?" Gum asked her.

"Well, after what I did to you guys earlier I felt like I owed you one," Rapid 99 answered. "I didn't want to be on bad terms with one of the biggest gangs in Tokyo, you know?"

"That's being a bit generous, but thanks," Corn replied with a smile. "Hopefully the cops will leave us alone when they learn about Goddess' whereabouts."

Rapid 99 noticed that Beat wasn't with the group. "Hey, where did Beat go?"

Corn and Gum looked at each other. None of them had a clue.


	13. Chapter 13 – What Lies Ahead

**Chapter 13 – What Lies Ahead**

A Rudie was hanging out in a Shibuya plaza, sitting on a curb while music blared on his boombox. The large dark-skinned skater had cobalt blue hair shaved into a buzz cut and a soul patch of the same colour. He wore a black tank top and pants, with dark sunglasses covering his eyes. The skater also wore some flashy jewelry, including gold rings on his right hand and a gold necklace with a large pendant in the shape of the yen sign.

He was minding his own business, bobbing his head to the music, when a pair of cops walked up to him.

"Hey punk, turn that music off!" one of the cops ordered. "Or we'll have you arrested for disturbing the peace."

The skater looked up at the cops. "How am I disturbing the peace?" he asked them in a deep voice. The cops said nothing, only returning stern looks. The skater, not wanting to get into any trouble, reached over to his boombox and turned it off. The cops walked away satisfied while the skater just shook his head.

Rhyth was skating through the plaza as the incident was taking place. She noticed the cops walking away from the man on skates and decided to approach him.

"Hey, what were the cops bugging you about?" she asked the skater.

The skater looked up at Rhyth and shrugged. "I dunno, they're always hassling me for no reason. All I was doing was playing music. No big deal, right? They just like pushing me around."

Rhyth sat down on the curb next to the skater. "Yeah, they can be jerks sometimes, and you don't want to get on their bad side. If not playing your music out in public is all it takes to get them off your back, then I'd say it's worth it."

"Hey, it's the cops that need to change, not me!" the skater contended.

Rhyth sighed. "I dunno, sometimes I wonder if I'd be better if—"

The skater interrupted Rhyth after taking a closer look at her: "Wait, you're one of the GGs, right?"

Rhyth turned her head towards the skater. "Uh... yeah, I am."

"Then you'd better beat it before the cops come after _you,_ too," the skater told her.

Rhyth hunched over and rested her head on her hands. "I know, but there's nowhere else I can skate. The place where I usually hang out — Rokkaku-dai Heights — is off limits now thanks to Poison Jam."

"Hey, Poison Jam have a loud mouth but they ain't so tough," the skater assured her. "Don't let them boss you around, kid."

"I've seen first-hand how tough Poison Jam are, and they're no joking matter," Rhyth replied, recalling her last encounter with them.

"Heh, whatever. I bet I could take them on solo," the skater bragged.

"I doubt it." The skater _did_ look pretty tough, but Rhyth had seen Poison Jam incapacitate both Boogie and Garam with ease. It would probably take the strength of her entire gang to put up a fight with Poison Jam. Not that she was looking to fight them.

The two of them sat there for a moment before Rhyth got an idea. She lifted her head up from her hands and asked the skater the same question she asks every Rudie she meets: "Hey, do you wanna join the GGs?"

The skater chuckled. "If I joined you guys then Shibuya wouldn't be safe for _me_ to hang around, either!"

"But you just said that the cops are always hassling you anyway," Rhyth pointed out.

"Heh, good point. Sure, I guess I'll join you guys." The skater reached out his large hand. "I'm Combo."

Rhyth introduced herself while reaching out to shake Combo's hand. Her hand was tiny compared to his which made her giggle. The two of them conversed for a little while before Rhyth decided that they should head over to the Garage. They rose to their feet and made their way to the Garage together. Combo carried his boombox with him, holding it over his shoulders.

* * *

Beat was skating through Shibuya, passing by shops and buildings that were all too familiar to him. He passed by the record shop he used to frequent (before shoplifting from it), the old ramen shop his parents would always take him to, and the playground he used to play in as a young child. Similar fragments of his past began to surround him as he skated into a nearby residential district; his old neighbourhood.

 _God, what am I even doing here?_ Beat wondered in his head.

He didn't expect himself to return to his old neighbourhood so soon. It had only been a week since he ran away from home, and ever since then he'd been feeling happier than he used to. And yet, something gave him the urge to return to his old home. Maybe it was his recent feelings of dejection, or maybe he was just curious of how his parents were doing. Regardless, he promised to himself that this would be the last time he'd ever bring himself back to this place.

Beat turned a corner, finally arriving at the street he used to live on. There, a few houses down, was his old home. He stared at it from afar, too nervous to get any closer to it. He didn't want his parents or any of his neighbours to see him. He noticed a car parked in the driveway; his parents' car. They must be home.

He began to wonder what they thought about his sudden disappearance. Did they miss him? Were they glad he was gone? Did they not care at all? He hadn't heard of any attempts to try to find him: no search parties, no missing person flyers, nothing.

 _They must be fine with me being gone,_ Beat thought to himself. _They're probably happy now that their deadbeat son is finally out of their lives. Well, I'm fine with it too. And I'll prove to them… and to myself that I can make something of my life._

He stood there and realized how stupid his own thoughts sounded. _Who am I kidding? What have I got to make of myself? I'm just some guy in a street gang. I just need to chill out and stop having such crazy expectations of myself.  
_

He recalled Boogie's words from earlier that day, about how she was expecting the Rudies of Tokyo to stage a revolt against the Rokkaku Government. The possibility of such a thing occurring momentarily lifted his spirits, but he quickly shook it off as impossible. _Yeah right, like that'll ever happen._

Beat took one last look at his old home. He knew that once he returned to the Garage he'd have to explain himself to Corn and Gum. He figured that he would just tell them the truth and hope that they'd forgive him. _They already forgave me for the whole thing with Rapid 99. What's one more screw up?_

He looked up at the sky as the sun began to set. _Well, time to face the music._ He took a deep breath and waved goodbye to his old home for the final time. He turned around and began skating away just as the streetlights flickered on.

* * *

Combo exited the hotel building in the Garage after claiming his personal hotel room. He skated into the courtyard and marvelled at the sound system the GGs had set up in the Garage. "Damn, how'd you guys get hooked up with all this gear?"

"I know, ain't it sick?" Yoyo replied as he occupied himself with the pinball machine.

"Damn right!" Combo reacted. "This set up beats my boombox by a mile!" He set his boombox down underneath the raised platform.

Just then, Corn and Gum entered the Garage from the overpass together. The other GGs in the Garage spotted them as they entered and quickly gathered around them.

Corn noticed two new members who he hadn't seen before: Boogie and Combo. He silently accepted them into the GGs, acknowledging that the other members of the gang had just as much of a say in who could join them as he did. "Man, this gang is growing too quickly," he muttered to himself.

"Well, what happened?" Yoyo asked him.

"The Noise Tanks were telling the truth; the Immortals had the Goddess all along," Gum answered for Corn. "The cops were made aware of where they're keeping it so it'll be back where it belongs in Dogenzaka Hill soon enough."

"What happened to the Immortals then?" Garam asked. "Did you tear them to shreds?"

"Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to; they bailed," Corn answered. "I'm sure the Rokkaku Police will decide their fate for us. Personally, I wouldn't want to see what those freaks look like underneath all those dirty bandages."

The group laughed together. Just then, Beat entered the Garage. The entire gang turned to look at him.

Gum skated towards him. "Hey, where the hell did you go? We were worried about you for a second."

"The Immortal I was chasing got away from me so I bailed," Beat explained. "I'm sorry, I know that was a shitty thing for me to do. I promise it won't happen again."

"Well, it doesn't matter since we found the Goddess anyway," Corn replied. "Hopefully the cops will be off our backs now."

"That's good news," Combo remarked. "The cops have been looking a bit on edge lately so it's nice to get a little heat off of us."

Suddenly, Potts ran up to Combo and began sniffing him. Combo tried backing away from the dog but he began to paw up his leg. "Man, why do you guys got a pet dog?" he asked the group.

"Me and Yoyo found it around Rokkaku-dai the other day and we took it in," Rhyth answered.

"Well keep it away from me," Combo said, pushing Potts off of his leg.

Beat chuckled. "What, are you scared of dogs or something?"

"I just don't want to get whatever diseases this thing has," Combo replied.

"Potts doesn't have any diseases!" Rhyth said, picking Potts up and holding him in her arms.

"If you found it in Kogane then it was probably playing around in garbage and stuff," Combo argued.

"I gave him a bath yesterday!" Rhyth replied.

The two of them continued their argument as the other GGs settled themselves into the Garage. Gum approached Beat and tapped him on the shoulder just as he was about to enter the hotel.

"Hey, the leader of Rapid 99 wanted to chat with you," she told him.

"Me? What for?" he asked. Rapid 99 was the _last_ person he wanted to see right now.

Gum shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me."

"Hey, tell 'em that we already found the Goddess and don't need their _'help'_ anymore," Garam quipped as he sat down on one of the couches.

"Actually, Rapid 99 _did_ help us get the Goddess back," Corn told everyone. "Their leader found it while we were busy chasing the Immortals around the skyscraper district."

Combo looked impressed. "How'd you get those ladies to help you guys out?"

"She felt bad for deceiving us before," Corn replied. "That's probably why she wants to talk to Beat: to apologize to him in person."

"Well go get 'em, tiger!" Garam told Beat teasingly.

"Garam, how many times in one day am I gonna have to tell you to shut up?" Beat retorted. He was just about to wash up for the night but reluctantly decided that he'd get his chat with Rapid 99 over with now. He figured that since she helped them find the Goddess, she at least deserved the chance to apologize to him properly. He made his way onto the overpass and skated towards 99th Street. As he left, Corn and Gum began introducing themselves to the newcomers.

* * *

Beat lept off of the Benten overpass down into the 99th Street shopping plaza. The sun had finally set and the neon lights that decorated the street shone as brightly as ever against the night sky. He skated to the center of the plaza and began ascending the large dragon sculpture that spiraled up Benten Tower. He reached the top of the tower and found the leader of Rapid 99 leaning against the railing. She turned around once she heard him skate towards her.

"Hey," she greeted him coyly.

"You wanted to see me?" Beat inquired, keeping his guard up.

She clutched her left arm with her right hand. "I don't know if you heard, but I helped your gang get the Goddess back."

"I know." Beat was expressionless. He didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of her.

Rapid 99 looked at the ground awkwardly. "Listen, I'm sorry for lying to you before." She looked away at the city skyline, unable to stare Beat in the eyes. "I saw an opportunity to manipulate a big fan of ours and I took it."

"I wasn't _that_ big a fan of yours," he replied.

"Well, maybe I just _hoped_ you were." She finally looked towards Beat. "Either way, that was no way to treat a fan."

Beat began to loosen up. Her apology seemed sincere, and he reckoned that if she helped Corn and Gum find the Goddess then she couldn't be _that_ bad. "Apology accepted." He skated to her side and leaned against the railing. "But there has to be a good reason you chose to help us out, right? There's no way you were just being nice to us."

"Maybe," she said with a smirk. "I won't miss the Immortals, that's for sure."

Beat laughed. "So in the end you still used us to get something you wanted, huh?"

"Well, when you say it like _that..._ "

They stood there together and shared the view of the Benten skyline in silence. This was the first time that Beat was able to witness the beauty of the colourful neon lights at night, and it was a sight to behold. The stars in the sky could barely be seen over the glow of the city. Beat was entranced by the sight.

Rapid 99 nudged him playfully. "You really like it up here, don't you?"

"Yeah, this view is awesome," Beat answered. "All the lights and sounds; it's such a sensory overload, but in a good way."

"God, you're such a tourist," she called him in jest. "But could you imagine what it'd be like if the power outage affected the _entire_ district?"

"Yeah, then _everyone_ would be pissed at Gouji," he replied. "He's lucky it's only affecting a tiny area that most people don't even visit."

Rapid 99 was quiet for a moment as she looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. "You know, I've been thinking of getting the band back together."

Beat was surprised. "Really? Including Cube?"

"Oh, _god_ no," she replied. "I still want nothing to do with her."

Beat chuckled. "Why are you even telling me all of this?"

"You're the only fan of ours that I ever actually got to meet," she told him. "I just figured that you were the best person to give the news to. Not that it's been confirmed or anything."

"Well if it _does_ happen, I'll be there for your first comeback concert," he assured her.

Rapid 99 looked at Beat and smiled warmly. Beat smiled back. Despite what she had put him through, he found it easy to forgive her. Maybe it was because of the admiration he had for her music, or maybe it was because he saw no point in perpetuating hostilities between their gangs. Regardless, he was relieved that he no longer had to feel ashamed for liking their music.

Beat and Rapid 99 stood together at the top of the tower for a while longer, enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Rokkaku Gouji entered his office with a glass of wine in his hand. The middle-aged man wore a black suit with a brooch in the shape of a hexagon; the symbol of the Rokkaku Group. He also wore eyeglasses with dark lenses and a white scarf that hung over both his shoulders. He walked to the end of the room — each footstep echoing off of the dark painted walls of his office — and sat down at his desk. To his back was a large window pane that spanned the entire wall behind him. Since his office was at the top floor of the Rokkaku Building, the window provided an excellent view of the rest of the Shibuya district.

Gouji took a sip from his glass and placed it on his desk. He pushed a button on his office phone and picked up the receiver, holding it to his ear. After a short tone, another man's voice was heard on the other end of the line.

"How are things coming along?" Gouji asked the man in a low creaky voice.

He listened to the response, furrowing his brow. The wrinkles on his face became more prominent as he scowled at the reply.

"Well, if you see the need for further action, you know what to do. Hopefully my special agents will ensure that it doesn't get to that point." He hung up the phone and held his glass in his hand as he reclined in his seat. A wicked grin formed on his face.

"Those fools," he muttered to himself. "If only they knew who was pulling the strings..."

 _ **~End of Act One~**_


	14. Chapter 14 – Homesick

_**~Act Two~**_

 **Chapter 14 – Homesick**

 _Alright, you're listening to Jet Set Radio with your host: DJ Professor K!_

 _The Goddess of Dogenzaka Hill was finally returned to its rightful spot the other day, after it was found by the GGs in Pharaoh Park last week. The Rokkaku Police have already released the Immortals from custody, and it looks like they got nothing but a slap on the wrist! Still, the GGs can breathe easy now that they got the heat off themselves._

 _In other news, Poison Jam got into yet another fight with some poor Rudie, this time down on Kibogaoka Hill. When will those fools learn? That lone Rudie has since gone missing, too. I guess Poison Jam scared 'em straight outta Tokyo! Hahahah!_

 _That's all for now. Tune in again tomorrow for the latest news, but until then we've got some smooth songs for you to listen to. Check 'em out…_

* * *

A week had passed since the GGs recovered the Goddess from the Immortals. Since then, not much gang activity had occurred. The Love Shockers backed off of the GGs' turf, the Hell Bikers minded their own business, and the GGs even became allies with Rapid 99. Things were relatively peaceful on the streets, or at least they seemed that way.

The GGs were all huddled around on top of the platform in the Garage — save for Beat who was sleeping in — as they listened to the Jet Set Radio broadcast. The news sparked multiple discussions between them.

Corn was sitting on one of the couches, as usual. "Why the hell were the Immortals let off so easily?" he wondered. "The cops kept giving us hell because they thought we messed with the Goddess, but when they find the _actual_ culprits they don't do shit to them?"

Yoyo was sitting on the ground next to Corn with his legs crossed. "Those zombies probably smelled so bad that the cops _had_ to release them!" he joked.

Boogie was leaning on the record player. "I just feel bad for whoever that punk was that got beat up by Poison Jam."

Garam was standing next to her. "I still want a rematch with those guys so I can finally teach them a lesson."

Rhyth skated up to Garam. "You _can't_ be serious! Did you forget what happened last time?"

Garam smirked. "Last time I was at a disadvantage because _you_ were around."

Rhyth steamed at his words. "I was trying to _save_ you from getting your butt kicked!"

"That's not what I meant," Garam clarified in an attempt to calm her down. "Poison Jam are three tough dudes so I needed another tough dude to fight at my side. Like Combo."

Combo looked up when he heard his name. "You talking about a fight? I'm down for a fight." He stood up and joined their conversation.

Rhyth threw her hands up. "I can't believe you two! You guys are _crazy!_ "

"Rhyth's right," Boogie chimed in. "You guys are gonna get yourselves sent to the hospital."

Garam brushed off their concerns. "You guys worry too much," he told them. "Alright, so we need a third person to make it an even match." He asked everyone else in the Garage: "Any takers?"

The rest of the GGs turned down the offer.

Garam shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine, Combo and I can take them on alone."

Combo and Garam hopped off of the platform. Rhyth couldn't let them go off to get themselves killed, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. The only person who had any power over them was Corn.

Rhyth approached Corn. "Corn, you can't let them go out there and fight Poison Jam!" she pleaded to him. "Stop them!"

Corn stood up from the couch. "They can do whatever they want. I'm not gonna boss anyone around."

She raised her voice at him: " _Seriously?_ They might get themselves _killed!_ "

"Calm down, Rhyth; you're overreacting," Corn told her.

Rhyth turned around and watched as Combo and Garam left the Garage. There was no stopping them now.

Rhyth turned back to face Corn. "Did you know that Garam almost _died_ in the skyscraper district last week when we were looking for the Noise Tanks? He nearly fell off a rooftop! If me and Yoyo hadn't been there to pull him up, he'd be… he'd…" Her voice trailed off.

Corn sighed. "I'm sure that was rough for all of you, but those are the risks of being a Rudie," he said calmly. "Sometimes you have to do some dangerous stuff to get what you want."

"Get _what?_ " Rhyth asked him. "What's the point of fighting Poison Jam? What are they gaining from it?"

"Listen, Rhyth; people become Rudies because they _don't_ like being told what to do," Corn explained to her. "That's why I started a gang with no rules. If I started bossing people around, that would defeat the whole purpose of the GGs."

"You sure didn't mind bossing us around when it came to risking our lives at the skyscraper district to look for the Goddess," Rhyth retorted.

At this point, everyone in the courtyard was surrounding Corn and Rhyth to listen in on their argument. Even Potts was barking in the background.

Corn groaned. "That was _different,_ alright? A gang stole something from us and the cops were hounding us down. We _had_ to get the Goddess back. And besides, people become Rudies to claim turf too, and all we were doing was defending ours."

"That's not true; everyone became a Rudie for different reasons," Rhyth replied. "I became a Rudie because I wanted friends and a place to live happily, but how can I be happy when my friends are getting themselves beaten up and everyone's just letting it happen?"

Yoyo skated up behind Rhyth and held her on her shoulder. "Take it easy, Rhyth."

Rhyth shook him away. She pushed through the crowd that surrounded them and skated down the platform before leaving the Garage towards the Shibuya district.

The GGs stood there, speechless. None of them expected that outburst from Rhyth. After a brief pause of disbelief, Yoyo skated down the platform too.

"Where are you going?" Corn asked him.

"I'm going after her," Yoyo replied.

"You don't have to do that," Corn told him. "She just needs some time to cool off."

"I _wanna_ go after her."

The GGs watched as yet another member of their gang left into the Shibuya district. The mood in the Garage was awkward; the only thing that could be heard was Potts' barking.

Just then, Beat skated out of the hotel building, rubbing his eyes underneath his sunglasses. "What was all the shouting about?" he asked everyone.

Nobody answered him. Beat shrugged it off and joined them atop the platform. He could sense that everyone was feeling tense.

Corn was flustered and needed reassurance that what he said to Rhyth was right.

"You guys agree with what I said, right?" he asked them.

"Well, I _do_ think that Combo and Garam are making a mistake," Boogie said. "But it's their mistake to make."

"Don't worry about it, Corn," Gum reassured him. "Rhyth was just overreacting. She'll get over it."

"Yeah… yeah, she will," Corn agreed. "Besides, the Goddess is back now so this is our time to relax."

"Speaking of the Goddess, I was thinking about something last night," Beat mentioned. "When we were chasing the Immortals, the one I caught up to mentioned that the Noise Tanks helped them take the Goddess."

"What? Why would the Noise Tanks do that?" Gum wondered. "They're the ones who _pointed us_ to the Goddess."

"That's what I thought, too," Beat said.

"Now that you mention it, the Immortals _did_ mention the Noise Tanks when their weird ritual thing failed," Corn recalled.

"You think the Noise Tanks are up to some funny business?" Boogie asked him.

Corn sighed. "I was hoping we could all relax today, but we should probably find out what their deal is."

"I'll come with you," Gum offered. She looked at Beat, expecting him to say the same thing.

Beat groaned. "Man, I _just_ woke up. Can't I chill for a bit?"

"Were you up late last night with that Rapid 99 chick?" Gum asked him.

"Yeah," Beat replied.

Boogie and Gum raised their eyebrows at Beat.

"Not in _that_ way!" he clarified.

Gum chuckled. "You sure forgave her quickly."

"Well, she said she was sorry," Beat replied. "And she's pretty cool once you get to know her."

"Whatever you say. Anyway, I guess it's just me and Corn then," Gum said as she looked at Corn.

"Seems so," Corn replied. "Let's go then."

Corn and Gum skated down the platform and onto the Benten overpass, making their way towards Benten. The only two left in the Garage were Beat and Boogie.

Beat sat down on one of the couches. "So seriously, what was that commotion about earlier?" he asked Boogie.

Boogie sat down next to him, crossing her legs. "Oh, that was just Corn questioning his role as a leader."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Sometimes different members of a gang have different ideas about what they want their gang to be."

"Are you gonna answer my question or are you just gonna keep saying vague shit?"

Boogie chuckled. "Alright, alright. Combo and Garam are about to get their asses kicked and Rhyth wanted Corn to stop them, but he didn't so she flipped out."

"Combo and Garam are both pretty tough. I think they can beat Poison Jam up, don't you?"

"Have you _seen_ Poison Jam lately?"

"Well, to be honest, I've only ever seen them once," Beat confessed.

"Then you have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

Yoyo caught up to Rhyth on Dogenzaka Hill. She was standing in front of the Goddess statue, which had just the other day been returned to its base, and was looking up at it. Yoyo slowly approached her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her.

Rhyth turned around and noticed that he was there. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just lost my cool for a bit."

Rhyth looked back up at the Goddess. Yoyo joined her in staring at the statue. "They put that thing back up pretty quick, eh?"

Rhyth didn't respond. She looked sullen.

Yoyo could sense that something was wrong with her. "Is something bugging you?" he asked her.

Rhyth sighed deeply. "I'm just… I'm just not sure if being a Rudie is all it's cracked up to be."

"What do you mean?"

"You heard what I said back in the Garage, didn't you? About becoming a Rudie to make a bunch of cool new friends? At least, that's what you promised me when we first met."

"But you _did_ make a ton of cool friends, yo!"

"I'm not so sure." Rhyth turned her back to Yoyo. "Don't get me wrong — I _like_ everyone, but they've all been too occupied with getting into fights with other gangs. I'm so tired of all the conflict."

"Things aren't _that_ bad," Yoyo reassured her. "There's conflict _wherever_ you go, and as Corn said, these things come with being a Rudie. It's a fair trade-off, if you ask me."

Rhyth turned back towards Yoyo. "We're just _kids,_ Yoyo! We shouldn't be getting into gang wars! None of this stuff is normal!" She looked at the ground and sighed again. "I never had to deal with this kind of stuff back home." She paused for a moment before looking back up at Yoyo. "Do you think my parents would accept me back?"

" _What?_ Just forget about those jerks!"

"My parents weren't jerks!" Rhyth shouted at Yoyo. "I only ran away from home because they couldn't afford to support me."

"Well, has any of that changed since you ran away?" he asked her.

Rhyth shook her head. "I doubt it."

"Then running away was the right choice. Trust me, you're better off without them."

"How could you say something like that?" Rhyth blasted Yoyo for acting like he knew more about her own parents than she did. "My parents _loved_ me! They were only gonna put me up for adoption because they thought it would give me a better upbringing with a family who could properly support me. And you know what? Maybe they weren't wrong…"

Yoyo grabbed Rhyth's arm. "Rhyth, the _GGs_ are your family now."

Rhyth shook him off. "Some family _they_ are. The GGs can't even take care of each other."

"Yes we can! We got the Goddess back, didn't we?"

"That's not what I meant, Yoyo. Nobody in the GGs cares if someone gets themselves into a dangerous fight." She threw her hands up. "Heck, everyone practically encourages it!"

"But what Corn said was right: being able to do whatever you want is what being a Rudie is all about."

"At _some_ point you have to lay down some rules. Corn's more worried about preserving some empty sense of freedom than about the safety and wellbeing of his own friends." Rhyth argued. "Things don't have to be so black and white."

"That's just how Corn sees things," Yoyo supposed.

"Then maybe being a GG isn't right for me."

Yoyo grabbed both of Rhyth's shoulders. "Don't say that, Rhyth! You don't really mean it! You're just upset right now!"

"Let go of me, Yoyo!" Rhyth firmly demanded.

Yoyo complied, slowly releasing her from his grasp.

"Thank you." She readjusted her outward bra. "And I'm sorry, Yoyo, but I _do_ mean it. Ever since you and Beat convinced me to join the GGs, I've been feeling like I don't really belong in the gang. I never liked any of the gang-related stuff, but I stayed because I enjoyed the company. But now I've realized that it's not worth it anymore. This isn't the kind of life that I want to live. Being a GG honestly _scares_ me."

Yoyo had no idea about her pent up feelings. "S-So wh-what are you gonna do, then?" he stuttered. "Are you gonna leave the GGs or something?"

Rhyth looked up again at the Goddess statue. The words calmly left her mouth: "I'm going home."

Yoyo's mind began to panic. "B-but just because you don't want to be a GG anymore doesn't mean you have to go home! You can still be a Rudie on your own!" He was desperate to convince her not to leave.

"There's no point in being a Rudie if I can't even skate around my neighbourhood anymore. At least if I'm not a Rudie then Poison Jam won't have a reason to hassle me anymore."

"But aren't you gonna say bye to the rest of the GGs first?" Yoyo was hoping that one of the other GGs would be able to convince her to stay.

"I don't think I can bring myself to say goodbye to them," Rhyth admitted. "It'd be too awkward after what just happened. This is awkward enough as it is."

"But Rhyth, you can't…" Yoyo couldn't think of anything else he could say to Rhyth to get her to change her mind. "I just… I just want you to stay. Things are more fun when you're around."

Rhyth smiled. "It makes me happy to hear you say that, Yoyo. And it's not like we'll never see each other ever again. I'll still visit you guys whenever I can. This way, we can hang out without me having to get involved in scary gang business. Everything will be better this way, don't you think?"

Yoyo so desperately wanted to scream the word ' _No,_ ' but he couldn't. Not at Rhyth's smiling face. She genuinely felt that she'd be happier this way, and it'd be selfish if he kept trying to stop her.

"I… guess…" he muttered.

Rhyth skated up to Yoyo and hugged him. Yoyo stood there, frozen in her arms. He didn't want her to let go, but soon enough she released him from her embrace. The two of them stared into each other's eyes.

"Bye, Yoyo." She weakly waved goodbye to him and began skating off. Yoyo was paralyzed as he watched her skate away until she was out of his sight. She had decided to leave the GGs so suddenly; it was only an hour ago that she was smiling with the rest of the gang back at the Garage. And now, she was gone. Not from his _entire_ life, but from his day-to-day life which still felt like a huge loss. No more running off to skate together, no more competing to beat each other's pinball scores, no more making her laugh with his dumb jokes…

 _No, this isn't right,_ he thought to himself. _She's not better off with her parents, she's better off with us! I can't let her go that easily! I won't!_

He had suddenly changed his mind. He was determined to get her to come back to the GGs, but it wasn't because he felt she was better off staying with them. That was just a lie he had convinced himself to believe. In reality it was because he, although too shy to admit it, had fallen in love with her.

* * *

Combo shook a can of black spray paint and began to spray his name onto the walls of a decrepit building at Rokkaku-dai Heights.

Garam watched him with a smirk. "That should get Poison Jam's attention."

Combo finished the tag. "They're sure taking their sweet time to get here."

"Don't worry," Garam replied, looking over at the dozen other tags they had just painted. "They'll come soon enough."

Suddenly, as if on cue, Poison Jam skated around a corner and stopped in front of Combo and Garam. Their menacing stature didn't faze the overconfident Garam.

" _Gah,_ what do you punks think you're doing?" one of the members of Poison Jam asked them incredulously.

"You can't stop us from skating through here!" Garam told them.

"Oh? We beg to differ," Poison Jam replied.

Garam shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we're just gonna have to fight over it."

Poison Jam began laughing amongst each other. "Do you remember what happened last time or is your brain to small to remember that far back? _Gahahah!_ "

Garam clenched his teeth. "Oh, _now_ you're asking for it!"

Garam rushed towards Poison Jam and punched him in the side of the head. Poison Jam's body didn't move an inch.

Poison Jam groaned. "We don't have time for this nonsense." He quickly punched Garam in the gut, causing him to fall to his knees. He grabbed Garam by the arms and lifted him up. Another Poison Jam member came up to Garam and lifted him up by the knees. The two of them began carrying Garam away. "You'll be our next guest of honour, _gahahahah!_ "

Garam began kicking and screaming as he was getting carried off. " _Let me go, you freaks! Lemme go!_ " His efforts to escape were futile.

Combo dropped the spray can he was holding and rushed up to Poison Jam to try to stop them, but the third member of Poison Jam blocked him. Combo attempted to punch him in the head but Poison Jam moved out of the way before striking Combo in the gut and knocking him to the ground as well.

"This is what you get for messing with us, _gahah!_ " Poison Jam growled as he towered over Combo. Combo was too hurt to do anything as the Poison Jam member began skating off with the rest of his gang as they carried Garam away.

Combo could still hear Garam's yells. He scrambled back up to his feet and began skating after them, but his injury was slowing him down. Even while carrying Garam, Poison Jam were outpacing him.

 _No, I can't let them take Garam! There's no way I'll let them!  
_

However, as much as he tried, Combo couldn't catch up to Poison Jam and began falling further and further behind. He began following them just by the sound of Garam's screams, but eventually the screams faded into the distance and he completely lost track of Poison Jam. Clutching his stomach, he fell to his knees.

 _Damn, this can't be happening! It can't be!_

Rhyth was right; they never should have tried to fight Poison Jam. Combo was suddenly filled with an immense feeling of regret. All he could do was look up at the sky and cry out in anger:

" _Dammiiiiiiiiit!_ "


	15. Chapter 15 – Off the Rails

**Chapter 15 – Off the Rails**

Yoyo rushed into the Garage with a panicked look on his face. He had sprinted the entire distance from Dogenzaka Hill without stopping to catch his breath. He frantically looked around and spotted Beat and Boogie sitting together on the couch. They were the only ones in the Garage. His hopes that Rhyth would be there too were dashed.

"Yo, have you guys seen Rhyth?" he called out to them.

Beat and Boogie turned their heads to face Yoyo. They looked at each other and shook their heads.

"I thought you went to look for her," Boogie replied. "You didn't find her?"

Yoyo skated into the courtyard and ascended to the roof of the platform. "I did, but when I talked to her she said that she's leaving the gang!"

" _Seriously?_ " Beat reacted incredulously.

Yoyo stood in front of them and nodded, as if _he_ couldn't even believe it.

"Why the hell would she leave the gang?" Beat wondered.

"Don't tell me this is all because of that argument she had with Corn," Boogie theorized.

"All she told me was that she doesn't like all the gang activities that we do," Yoyo told them.

"What does that girl have against gang activities?" Boogie pondered.

"I dunno, but she said that she's going back home to her parents!" Yoyo replied.

"Didn't she run away from home?" Beat recalled. "Why would she want to go back?"

Yoyo shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently she was happier with her parents than she was with us."

"Ouch. That doesn't exactly make us sound good, does it?" Beat remarked.

Boogie relaxed back on the couch. "Well, I wish her the best."

" _What?_ " Yoyo exclaimed. "Are you really just gonna let her leave the gang like that?"

"If Rhyth thinks that she'd be happier back home then who are we to stop her?" Boogie argued. "Besides, it's _her_ loss."

"B-but Rhyth doesn't know what she's talking about!" Yoyo contended. "There's _no way_ that she's really better off living with her parents!"

"I'm sure she knows better than you do," Boogie retorted.

"I dunno, I kinda get what Yoyo's saying," Beat chimed in. "I mean, she's still our friend so we should at least check up on her to see what's going on."

" _Exactly!_ " Yoyo exclaimed. "Come on, we should go right now! If we hurry we can catch up to her at Rokkaku-dai!"

Yoyo grabbed Beat and Boogie's arms and tried to pull them up off the couch. They reluctantly stood up on their own.

"Wait, Poison Jam aren't gonna let us look around Rokkaku-dai," Boogie realized.

"But we _have_ to!" Yoyo pleaded. "Combo and Garam probably took care of those guys, anyway."

Yoyo dragged Beat and Boogie to the perimeter of the Garage. Right as they were about to take the exit towards Kogane, Combo hurriedly skated into the Garage from there, nearly crashing into them. He was clutching his chest and breathing heavily.

" _G-guys, Poison Jam got Garam!_ " he told them in between gasps for air.

"What do you mean?" Boogie asked him, sensing the distress in his voice.

"G-Garam tried to fight them but they just g-grabbed him and took him away to wh-who knows where!" Combo stammered. "I-I tried to stop them but I couldn't! They got away!"

The others looked at him with shocked faces.

" _Are you serious?_ " Beat exclaimed. " _Shit, man!_ "

"Dammit, I _told_ you guys that messing with Poison Jam was a bad idea!" Boogie yelled at Combo.

"I know, we screwed up!" Combo admitted. "What are we gonna do? We gotta get him back!"

"We gotta get Corn first," Beat replied. "Him and Gum are still in Benten, right?"

"B-but what about Rhyth?" Yoyo reminded them.

"We have more important things to worry about right now, Yoyo!" Boogie scolded him. "Garam was freaking _kidnapped!_ Come on, we have to hurry!"

Yoyo understood the severity of the situation, but he just wanted to know what they were going to do about Rhyth leaving the gang. Still, he felt stupid for bringing her up when everyone was clearly more concerned — and rightfully so — for Garam.

The group quickly rushed onto the overpass. Combo was still injured but managed to keep up with the others as they skated towards Benten.

* * *

Corn and Gum were in the Benten district, searching for the Noise Tanks. They had searched throughout the majority of the skyscraper district and stopped at the entrance to Pharaoh Park to get their bearings. The two were growing tired of looking for them, especially since there were still large areas they had yet to search. They sat together on a nearby bench.

"Man, we're never gonna find them at this rate," Gum said to Corn. "This place is _huge,_ and they might not even _be_ here."

"Yeah, for all we know they could be in some other part of Benten," Corn replied. "You think we should ask Rapid 99 if they've seen them around 99th Street?"

"That's not a bad idea," Gum responded. "And considering how buddy-buddy Beat's been getting with their leader, they'd probably tell us the truth this time."

"Beat _has_ been getting close to her, hasn't he?" Corn remarked.

"Yeah, probably because he's a fan of their music or something," Gum guessed.

"You don't think it's because he… you know, _likes_ her?"

" _Pfft,_ no way," Gum blurted. "They've only been hanging out for, like, a week."

"It's not unheard of for someone to quickly develop feelings for another," Corn replied. "You of all people should know that."

Corn's words caught Gum off guard. She awkwardly looked away and quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, let's just keep looking."

They both stood up and were about to depart on their search once more until another skated approached them. Corn and Gum both looked over at him. The tall skater wore a teal jacket with its collar popped over his mouth. His pants were a bright olive colour and he wore black gloves. A pair of goggles rested over his forehead and his red hair was done up into three short braids that spiked up out from the top of his head.

"Hey, I overheard you guys talking about the Noise Tanks," the skater said to them.

"Yeah, we were. You know where they are?" Corn enquired.

"They're gone, dude," the skater told them.

"What do you mean?" Corn asked him.

"I saw it with my own eyes, man," the skater replied. "They were all standing together in a group, and then suddenly they all rocketed into the sky."

Corn and Gum looked at each other quizzically. "What are you talking about?" Corn asked him once more.

"I'm saying that they _literally_ flew through the sky! There was smoke coming out of them and everything. My eyes weren't playing tricks on me."

Corn figured that the skater was delusional but still had information that could be of use to them. "Well, what direction did they head in?"

"You guys aren't getting it," the skater said. "They seriously flew straight up into the clouds. I couldn't see where the hell they went. For all I know, they might have gone up into space!"

Corn and Gum looked at the skater with blank faces.

"Are… are you serious about this whole 'flying' thing?" Corn asked him.

"Maybe the Noise Tanks got a hold of jetpacks or something," Gum hypothesized. "Or hell, they might have built them themselves. They're supposed to be pretty smart, even smarter than _you._ " She glanced at Corn and nudged him playfully.

"Well, whether they really flew through the sky or not, I doubt we'll find them now," Corn confessed. "You think they knew we'd be looking for them?"

Gum shrugged her shoulders. "So I guess we're giving up and heading back to the Garage?"

"I guess so," Corn responded. He turned to face the unknown skater, thinking that he would make a good new addition to their gang. "Hey, what's your name?"

"It's Soda," the skater answered. "And I already know who you guys are; the GGs, right?"

"Yeah, that's us," Corn replied. "And actually, I was wondering if you'd like to join us."

"Heh, is it that easy?" Soda quipped. "Well, I got nothing better to do so why not?"

Corn took the joke in stride. He figured that word must have been getting around that the GGs were an overly welcoming gang, but he didn't mind that reputation. He and Gum introduced themselves personally to Soda before setting off towards the Garage along the overpass. They continued their conversation as they were skating.

"So, I heard about that thing between you guys and the Immortals," Soda brought up.

"Oh yeah, that's all in the past now," Corn replied. "We took care of them and got what we wanted."

"Heh, you GGs don't let anyone mess with you, huh?" Soda remarked.

"You got _that_ right," Gum answered confidently.

"Good, hopefully that means I won't have to do much work myself then," Soda replied.

"Don't think that you'll be able to shirk your duties as a member of the GGs," Corn told him. "We still have to figure out what the deal with the Noise Tanks is."

"Hey, 99th Street is coming up pretty soon," Gum mentioned. "You think we should pay Rapid 99 a visit like we talked about earlier?"

"Yeah, we might as well," Corn replied. "Even if the Noise Tanks really _did_ blast off into the sky, those girls might still know something."

"Damn, we gotta take a detour?" Soda complained. "I just wanna head over to your place and relax."

"What did I say about shirking your duties?" Corn reminded Soda.

The group were approaching 99th Street when they suddenly saw the rest of the GGs ahead of them on the overpass and frantically skating towards them.

"What the hell is everyone doing here?" Corn wondered aloud.

"Heh, is this a welcoming party for me or something?" Soda joked.

The group skated up to them, all with distressed looks on their faces. With one look at their faces, Corn immediately knew that something was wrong. "What's going on?"

Beat skated forward and looked straight at Corn with his worried eyes. He didn't want to be the one to tell Corn the bad news. "Corn, there's an emergency."

* * *

The gang gathered in the Garage's courtyard to further discuss Garam's kidnapping. Everyone looked worried except for Soda who had yet to even meet Garam and felt nothing of his abduction.

Corn was pacing back and forth, visibly stressed out. In a single day he had lost two members of his gang, both for vastly different reasons. At the moment though he was primarily focused on Garam. He stopped pacing and looked sharply at Combo. " _Why the hell did you let them capture Garam?_ "

"I _tried_ to stop them!" Combo shouted back at Corn. "It was _Garam's_ idea to mess with Poison Jam in the first place, and you didn't have a problem with it earlier! Rhyth was the only one who tried to stop us!" Despite that, he still felt incredibly guilty.

Corn let out a resigned sigh. "Damn, why didn't I listen to her? And now _she's_ gone, too." He felt like blaming himself for both losses, but knew that now was not the time for feeling remorseful.

"Wh-What are we gonna do about her?" Yoyo asked Corn.

"We can worry about her _after_ we get Garam back," Corn told him. "Obviously Garam's in a direr situation than she is."

Boogie, who was squatting on the ground, stood up straight. "So what are we doing sitting around for? We need to head down to the sewers _now._ "

"I know," Corn reassured her. "I think I remember how to get to Poison Jam's hideout from inside the sewage facility. Garam showed us the last time we went there."

Soda was sitting in the corner, away from the rest of the GGs. He finally spoke his mind to the others: "Hey, listen, I know you guys wanna save your friend and all, but I don't even know the guy so I don't feel like I have an obligation to help out."

Corn turned to face Soda and slowly approached him. He wasn't in the mood to tolerate his nonsense. "How many times do I have to remind you: you either help us out or I'm revoking your membership. _Got it?_ "

Soda could tell that he wasn't going to get away with being lazy in this circumstance. He didn't want to give up living in the GGs' luxurious hideout — which was the only reason he decided to join them in the first place — so he decided to help them out this time. "Alright, alright, I'll come with you guys." He got up to his feet.

Boogie crossed her arms. "So much for the GGs not having any rules," she quipped.

Corn glared at her. "This is an emergency situation. I don't need your snarky remarks."

"Hey, I wasn't disagreeing with you," she assured him.

"Good," Corn replied. "I'm guessing there aren't any other disagreements, are there?" He looked around at the other members for a response, but nobody spoke up. "Alright then, let's go."

He led the rest of the GGs towards the Kogane district as they began making their way to Poison Jam's hideout, determined to rescue Garam.

* * *

Garam continued to squirm as the two members of Poison Jam carried him into a room in their underground hideout. They finally dropped him to the ground next to a wall, but before he could regain his bearings they quickly chained him by his wrist to the wall. With most of his energy spent, all Garam could do was look at his surroundings. The room was a murky purple and there were more chains hanging from the ceiling, some with meat hooks on their ends. _Well, at least they ain't hooking me to those chains,_ he thought to himself.

He turned his head to his side and noticed that there was another skater chained to the wall next to him. _Shit, they got someone else, too._ The skater wore a crimson red shirt with navy blue and black striped sleeves and grey baggy pants with a gold chain sticking out from his left pocket. His red hair was done up into thick spikes and he looked equally as weak as Garam did.

Garam turned his head back to face the Poison Jam trio who were towering over him. "Hey, what are you guys gonna do to us?"

Poison Jam laughed amongst each other. "Ask your new friend." He looked down at the other skater. "What was your name again?"

"Clutch," the skater answered, expressionless.

"Right." Poison Jam looked back at Garam while gesturing towards Clutch. "This punk got caught spraying tags on our turf just like you."

"I didn't know that Kibogaoka Hill was your turf, man!" Clutch pleaded to them.

" _Yes you did, you pathetic liar!_ " Poison Jam bellowed. "You thought you could mess with us, huh? You idiots need to get it through your thick skulls that we _shouldn't_ be messed with. Now, tell our new guest what we have planned for you two."

Clutch shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, you guys didn't tell me anything!"

"Oh? Did you forget about the special meal we're preparing for you?" Poison Jam mentioned.

"What, _that?_ " Clutch recalled. "I thought that was a joke!"

Poison Jam burst into laughter. " _Gahahah,_ oh, if only you knew."

Suddenly, Poison Jam's leader, Cube, skated into the room. She looked over at Garam. "Good job, fellas; you caught another one. I hope you have something good planned in store for them."

"Oh, don't worry," Poison Jam assured her. "We've got it all figured out, _gahah!_ "

"Good," Cube replied. "Now, you boys needs to keep watch of our turf in case there are any more idiots who need to be taught a lesson." She glared at Clutch and Garam. "Since that one guy is in the GGs, his friends will probably be coming to look for him."

"Got it, ma'am," Poison Jam confirmed. The three of them skated out of the room, leaving Cube alone with the two prisoners.

She looked down at them and smirked. "Oh, why do you men have such trouble listening to clear orders?" She giggled to herself before leaving the room, leaving Clutch and Garam alone in the cold damp room.

* * *

It seemed like any other day in Rokkaku-dai Heights; the sky was a bright blue, birds were chirping, and the wind was providing a cool breeze to anyone who was outside. At the moment though, the area seemed empty. The only person who could be seen was Rhyth, who was sitting alone on a park bench.

Rhyth reached down to her skates and removed them from her feet. _There's no use wearing these anymore,_ she thought to herself. Holding both of her skates — one in each hand — she stood up and began walking along a dusty trail in her thigh-high socks. The stones on the ground hurt her feet, but she didn't let them slow her down.

As she walked along the path, she spotted some tags on the walls of nearby buildings. The tags seemed fresh, as if they were painted earlier that day. One of the tags confirmed her suspicions; it was just the word 'combo' in black paint. All she could do was shake her head and walk past them, hoping that Combo and Garam had already returned to the Garage. She had taken a detour into Rokkaku-dai specifically to avoid the sight of the GGs. She couldn't muster the courage to say goodbye to them in person, not after her earlier outburst. However, she still stood by the words that she said to them and was sure that she was making the right decision. Not even Yoyo could stop her from going home.

Ahead of her, Rhyth spotted a lone member of Poison Jam skating towards her. She froze in her tracks, dropping her skates to the ground. She hoped in her mind that Poison Jam would spare her.

The Poison Jam member stopped in front of her. He recalled her from their earlier encounters. " _Grr,_ of _course_ it's you. How many times am I gonna have to teach ya a lesson, lady?"

"I'm not a Rudie anymore, honest," she pleaded to him, pointing down to her feet. "I'm leaving that life behind, so you have no reason to mess with me, right?"

He looked down at her feet and smirked. " _Geheh,_ good. I wasn't looking forward to snapping a little girl in half, anyway."

He turned around and was about to skate away when he suddenly stopped and let out a pained grunt. He lurched forward and fell on one knee, clutching his stomach.

Rhyth approached him concernedly. "A-are you alright?"

He turned his head towards her. " _I'm fine!_ " he bellowed.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" she asked him. "Where's the rest of your gang?"

The Poison Jam member slowly returned to his feet and faced Rhyth. "As if I'd need their help to take care of a little girl like _you._ " A grin could be seen underneath his monster mask. "Besides, they're too busy dealing with your friend."

Rhyth's eyes opened wide. "Wh- _What?_ "

"Oh, right. You left the GGs, so I guess they ain't your friend anymore, _gahahah!_ " The Poison Jam member quickly skated away before Rhyth could ask him to elaborate. She didn't need any clarification though; she had a bad feeling that she already knew what he was talking about. A knot formed in the back of her throat.

She was once again alone.


	16. Chapter 16 – Breakdown

**Chapter 16 – Breakdown**

The GGs skated in single file into the sewers through a large sewer pipe. The stench was again overpowering, but they soldiered on. They reached the end of the sewer pipe and helped each other climb out of it and onto a nearby catwalk. The catwalk connected them to the rest of the Tokyo Underground Sewage Facility.

The gang looked around. Poison Jam were nowhere to be seen. The sewage facility was vast, but thankfully Corn remembered the directions to Poison Jam's hidden hideout in the facility. He led the gang around the intersecting catwalks with confidence.

"I'm surprised Poison Jam haven't jumped us yet," Boogie remarked.

"Those shitheads probably have their hands full with Garam," Beat surmised.

Suddenly, a figure jumped out from an overhead catwalk and landed in front of them, blocking their path. It was Cube.

"You were actually dumb enough the bring the whole gang with you, huh?" she said with a smirk. "I hope you remembered what I said last time, because there's no escaping now."

The GGs turned around to see Poison Jam skating up from behind them, blocking the path they came from. They were surrounded.

Corn skated forward to confront Cube. "What the hell are you guys doing to Garam?"

"You'll have to ask my boys what they've got cooking for your friend," Cube replied.

Poison Jam growled. "Oh, we've got something cooking for him, all right: an all-you-can-eat buffet of Kogane salamanders. And when we say all-you-can-eat, we mean it! We're gonna force-feed that sucker until his stomach explodes, _gahahah!_ "

"Wow, you boys are pretty smart for coming up with that plan all by yourselves," Cube commended them.

"You're gonna _poison_ him?" Beat exclaimed in shock. "But he could _die!_ "

"That's the idea, _gahahah!_ " Poison Jam said with a laugh.

Corn clenched his fists in anger. "That's it, you guys have gone too far this time."

"We have no problem with serving the rest of you a fine meal, too," Poison Jam threatened. "There's plenty of salamander to go around, _gahah!_ "

"You punks think you can scare us?" Combo shouted at them. "I'd like to see you try to beat us when you're outnumbered."

Poison Jam grinned wickedly. They answered in a low menacing voice: "You're gonna get your wish."

The three members of Poison Jam rushed towards the GGs. Yoyo, who was closest to them, was caught off guard by their sudden advance and was swiftly taken down by a punch to the gut. He shouted out in surprise and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain. He raised his sweater hood over his head to hide the tears that were welling in his eyes.

The rest of the GGs reacted quickly by bracing themselves for a fight, aside from Soda who cowered away in fear of getting attacked. Cube also backed away from the brawl, choosing instead to watch it from the sidelines.

One of the Poison Jam boys skated up to Boogie, expecting to take her down easily again. Feeling determined however, she put up a formidable fight with the Poison Jam member, dodging his heavy blows and throwing in a few of her own. Her attacks didn't faze him though, and eventually she let her guard down long enough for Poison Jam to connect a hit. She flinched from the blow which left an opening for another heavy strike, knocking her to the ground. Too wounded to stand, she tried crawling away as the Poison Jam brute towered over her. Before Poison Jam could finish her off though, Beat sneaked in from behind and bashed him in the back of the skull with his fists clamped together, knocking him down to the ground next to Boogie.

Beat crouched down next to Boogie. "You okay?"

"Kinda," she answered. "But I don't think I can fight anymore." Her eyes widened as she looked behind Beat. " _Look out!_ "

Beat turned around, but it was too late as he was tackled by one of the other Poison Jam members. They both fell to the ground, with Poison Jam lying on top of him. With Beat restrained by his heavy body, Poison Jam was able to land blow after blow on his head. Beat's sunglasses shattered on his face as one final blow landed on his face to knock him out.

Combo watched this occur and quickly dashed towards Beat, pushing Poison Jam off of him. The Poison Jam member got back up to his feet, ready to challenge Combo. The two held a short skirmish, trading blows against each other before Combo finally landed a solid hit on Poison Jam's face. Poison Jam fell to the ground, with Combo quickly climbing onto his body and repeatedly punching him in the head.

"How do _you_ like it, _huh?_ " he kept shouting with each hit to the face.

Poison Jam growled after each blow, but eventually his guttural noises ceased as he began to lose consciousness. Combo climbed off of his body and looked around, noticing that there was only one member of Poison Jam left in the fight. Combo was injured but still willing to fight. He was determined not to give up as easily as he did before.

The last member of Poison Jam approached Soda who was cowering on his knees in the corner of the large catwalk. Soda looked up and saw Poison Jam staring down at him with a grin on his face.

"Please, don't hurt me!" Soda begged him. "I don't want nothin' to do with this!"

Poison Jam ignored his pleading and kicked him in the head, knocking him to the ground. He turned around and saw Gum skate towards him. Without hesitation, he grabbed Gum by her throat as soon as she was close and lifted her up into the air. Gum yet out a high-pitched yelp, startled by Poison Jam's quick reaction. She began to kick at him with her skates, but he refused to let go.

" _No!_ " Corn shouted as he rushed towards Poison Jam and attempted to tackle him. Poison Jam's heavy body withstood the tackle but he still released his grip on Gum. She fell to the ground, clutching her throat while coughing uncontrollably.

Corn looked down at Gum while still keeping an eye on Poison Jam. "Gum, are you alright?"

Gum continued to cough. "I'm… I'm fine…" she replied in a raspy voice.

Corn looked back up at Poison Jam. He knew that he wouldn't be able to take him on alone, but it was too late for him to back down now. He stood still and let Poison Jam slowly approach him. They stood chest-to-chest as Corn could feel Poison Jam's exhales on his skin. Poison Jam forcefully pushed him and Corn fell to the ground with ease. His hat fell off of his head, but he quickly put it back on.

" _Gahah,_ and _you're_ the leader of the GGs?" Poison Jam mocked him.

Suddenly, Combo rushed up to Poison Jam and punched him in the gut. Poison Jam, caught off guard, slowly fell down to his knees in pain. This time, it was Combo who was towering overhead. He grinned, having finally redeemed himself.

However, as the last member of Poison Jam finally fell to the ground, he threw one last punch at Combo's crotch. Combo screamed in pain and quickly fell to his knees.

" _You… son of a…_ " he muttered, his words trailing off as he winced in agony. He keeled over while clutching where he was hit.

Corn got back up to his feet and looked around at his surroundings. He was the last GGs member left standing, but all three members of Poison Jam were collapsed on the floor. The GGs had won.

Gum reached out her arm to Corn while lying on the ground. " _Corn…_ " she called out to him, her voice still shot.

Corn quickly knelt down next to her. "Shit, Gum, you sure you're okay?" he asked her.

" _Corn… behind…_ " she strained her voice.

Corn felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Cube standing behind him. She had finally joined the fight, and with one swift kick to the head Corn was knocked down to the ground next to Gum. His hat flew off again, this time landing away from him.

Cube smirked. "I'm surprised you guys held out that long. Usually my boys can handle things all on their own, but this time _I_ had to jump in." She paced around Corn. "Either way, you never stood a chance against us."

The members of Poison Jam slowly began to recover, stumbling to their feet. They were injured but still able to stand.

Yoyo wiped his eyes with his hands and removed his hood from over his head. He looked up at Cube. "How the hell did you beat us? We outnumbered you guys two-to-one!"

Cube approached Yoyo. "You want to know my boys' little secret?" She skated to the edge of the catwalk and looked down at the pool of water below. "You see that pool of sewage down there? Well, my boys _love_ swimming and all of that sewage water has affected them in… _interesting_ ways."

"It gave them _superpowers?_ " Yoyo exclaimed.

"I wouldn't call it that," Cube replied with a chuckle.

"What the hell? That's _disgusting!_ " Boogie shouted. "Why the hell do they swim in that filth?"

"My boys admittedly aren't the brightest bunch," Cube remarked.

One of the members of Poison Jam turned his head sharply towards Cube. "Hey, you oughta watch your mouth! _We're_ the ones who did all the dirty work."

"Oh, _please!_ You guys would be _nothing_ without me," Cube asserted.

"You wanna bet?" Poison Jam challenged her. "We could easily snap _you_ in half if we wanted to, _gahah!_ "

"Now _you_ need to watch what you're saying," Cube warned them. "We _both_ benefit from my leadership."

"Yeah, right!" The Poison Jam boys gathered around each other. "We took down the GGs all on our own! If _they_ can't even stop us, then we can get whatever we want without you, _gahahah!_ "

"Don't be stupid," Cube said. "You won't get far without my strategies. Brains before brawn, as the saying goes."

" _Strategy?_ Who needs strategy when we've got brute force?" Poison Jam approached Soda who instinctively began to crawl away from them in fear. "See? Even the GGs are afraid of us, _gahahah!_ "

 _I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved,_ Soda thought to himself as he cowered from Poison Jam.

Poison Jam skated past the fallen GGs and stood in front of Cube who was staring at them sternly. "Hell, we could take on the _cops_ if we wanted to, and we ain't gonna let you stop us this time."

"The _cops?_ Are you _crazy?_ " Cube exclaimed. "They'll _kill_ you! How many times do I have to tell you guys that?"

" _That's_ your strategy? To sit around and do nothing?" Poison Jam asked her. "How do ya expect us to expand our turf with _that_ attitude, oh?"

"We've already got the entire Kogane district," Cube told them. "What more do you guys want?"

"We want _all_ of Tokyo!" Poison Jam bellowed. "And we ain't gonna let the police stop us, _gahahah!_ "

"Do you think your skin is thick enough to stop bullets or something?" Cube asked them rhetorically.

"Maybe _you_ should go for a swim if you want to know how powerful we really are," Poison Jam told her.

"The sewage didn't _actually_ make you stronger, you dumbasses!" Cube yelled at them. "It just made you _feel_ stronger which caused you to lose your inhibitions. That's why you were able to take down the GGs; you didn't become stronger, you became more _aggressive._ And aggression doesn't mean _shit_ against a guy with a gun."

" _Grr,_ what do _you_ know?" Poison Jam yelled back, irritated by her reasoning. "Now, excuse us; it's dinnertime."

Poison Jam attempted to skate past Cube but she held her arms out and blocked them. "You guys aren't going anywhere. This stops _now._ "

"Oh? You want a taste of our medicine, too?" Poison Jam taunted her.

"I don't know if that sewage water messed your brains up or if you were _always_ this crazy, but murder isn't what being a Rudie is about," Cube said.

"You didn't have a problem with our plan _earlier,_ " Poison Jam reminded her.

"You think I was actually gonna let you guys poison those two Rudies?" Cube asked them. "I ain't gonna let some poor kids die over stupid turf wars."

"Speak for yourself, _gahah!_ " Poison Jam pushed Cube aside, knocking her to the ground with ease. They began to skate away when a voice from behind them caught their attention:

"I _knew_ that was Poison Jam I was smelling."

Poison Jam turned around. At the far end of the catwalk was Rapid 99, taunting them from afar.

" _Grr,_ what the hell are _you_ losers doing here?" Poison Jam yelled at them, seething with anger. "Nobody invited you to this party."

Rapid 99's leader skated forward. "I smelled trouble so I came to take a look, but then I realized I was just smelling _you_ guys."

"You think you're being clever with those jokes, oh?" Poison Jam asked them. "You'd best watch what you say. We took out the GGs and we can just as easily take _you_ out, too! Hell, it'd be even easier, _gahah!_ "

"Nah, we ain't here to fight you," Rapid 99 told them.

"Well _tough shit!_ " Poison Jam yelled. "You're on _our_ turf and _we_ make the rules around here."

"Since when is this _your_ turf?" Rapid 99 asked them. "Last time I checked, the Rokkaku Group controls this facility."

"Are you playing stupid? Of _course_ this is our turf!" Poison Jam let out a derisive laugh. "And people think _we're_ the crazy ones."

Cube returned to her feet. "She's right, you know. As much as I hate to admit it."

Poison Jam turned back around to face Cube. "What are you talking about?"

"The notion of 'turf' is meaningless," Cube explained. "The only people who recognize turf are other skaters. Rokkaku's boys and even the other people of Tokyo don't give a crap about it. This whole thing is just a dumb game among us Rudies."

"Hey, don't act like spreading our turf wasn't _your_ idea." Poison Jam reminded her.

"I knew even back then how pointless the whole thing was," Cube told them. "I only got on the turf war bandwagon for fun because, hell, what _else_ is a Rudie gonna do?"

Corn sat up and looked at Cube. His head was still spinning from the kick he had received from her, but he couldn't help but agree with the things she was saying. They reminded him of something he was told before.

"We could go after Rokkaku Gouji instead," he spoke up, his words catching everyone's attention.

"Screw that!" Poison Jam exclaimed. "We're fine with just taking control of the streets."

Cube sighed, frustrated by Poison Jam's vacuousness. "You still don't get it, do you? Even if you spread your 'turf' all around Tokyo, nobody's gonna give a shit except for other Rudies, and even _they_ might choose to ignore your turf claims."

" _Gah,_ as if Rudies would ever do that," Poison Jam replied. "Even the _oh-so-righteous_ GGs fight over turf."

Corn slowly returned to his feet. "Well not anymore," he pledged.

Poison Jam laughed incredulously at Corn's vow. " _Gahahah,_ yeah, right!"

Corn skated over to his hat and picked it up, putting it back on his head. "Tell me something, Poison Jam: what the hell did you hope to achieve by kidnapping Garam?"

"What do you think? We want respect!" Poison Jam answered. "Until you Rudies learn to follow our rules, we're gonna keep punishing ya!"

Corn shook his head. "That's not how you get people to respect you, that's how you get people to _fear_ you."

"What's the difference?" Poison Jam replied. "It works for Gouji, _gahahah!_ "

"Do you really want to have yourselves be compared to Gouji?" Corn asked them. "The guy who _everyone_ hates?"

"Heh, if he's like us then he can't be _that_ bad, _gahah!_ " Poison Jam reckoned.

"Believe what you want," Corn told them. "I for one have had enough. Cube is right: fighting over turf is worthless. We should be doing something productive like fighting against the Rokkaku Government instead. There's no point in wasting time with turf wars, and there's definitely no point in wasting time with _you._ "

Corn attempted to skate past Poison Jam but they quickly skated in front of him, blocking his path. " _Grr,_ where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to save Garam and get the hell out of here," Corn answered them.

"Did you not listen to a word we said?" Poison Jam asked him.

"No, I didn't," Corn replied. "I'm done listening to your demands. You can't have power over someone who doesn't have to follow your rules."

Poison Jam scoffed at Corn's words. "Oh? 'Cause we have ways of enforcing our rules, as we just demonstrated by beating you and your stupid gang to a pulp!"

Rapid 99's leader skated to Corn's side. "The GGs aren't alone in this. We're not following your rules anymore, either."

Poison Jam laughed. " _Gahahah,_ no problem, we can take _your_ gang down, too!"

Cube skated to Corn's side as well. "I'm not gonna let you guys abuse your strength like that," she told Poison Jam. "Even if I have to temporarily team up with Rapid 99. I'm through with being your leader."

Rapid 99 sneered at Cube but brushed off her comment. She was willing to cooperate as well, but only because she knew that she wouldn't be able to take on Poison Jam without Cube's help.

Poison Jam fumed. "Is that how it's gonna be? Fine, we can take you _all_ down!"

Poison Jam threw the first punch at Cube but she swiftly evaded it. She grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled it forward while kicking at his leg, causing him to fall down. While down, Cube continued to kick him in the side of his chest.

Another Poison Jam member tried to attack Rapid 99's leader but she continued to back away from him. Her defensive tactic annoyed him as he failed to get any hits in.

" _Grr,_ what are you? Chicken?" he taunted her.

"I told you before, I'm not here to fight," she responded.

"Then what are you here for?" he asked her. "Are you just trying to look good in front of the GGs? Or is it 'cause you hate us so much that you'll do anything to piss us of?"

"We want respect, just like you" she replied. "But _unlike_ you, we don't want to beat the crap out of people to get it."

" _Gahahah,_ as if _you_ could beat anyone in a fight!" he laughed.

While Rapid 99's leader had Poison Jam distracted, Cube sneaked up behind him and kicked the back of his leg. The impact caused him to fall to his knee which gave Cube the perfect opportunity to kick him in the side of the head. She did just that, knocking him out cold. She looked over at Rapid 99 who was staring at her blankly.

"You're still as useless as ever, I see," she said snidely.

"Screw you," Rapid 99 shot back.

At the same time, the last member of Poison Jam went after Corn. Corn attempted to punch him but Poison Jam grabbed his arm and twisted it, causing Corn to flinch in pain. Poison Jam let go of Corn's arm and grabbed him by his throat, lifting him into the air. His feet dangling above the ground, Corn tried to loosen Poison Jam's grip to no avail.

Poison Jam grinned menacingly. "Let's see you try to save your friend _now, gahahah!_ "

Poison Jam carried Corn over to the edge of the catwalk. Down below them was the pool of water at the bottom of the facility. The rest of the GGs — too weak to help — looked on in horror, fearing that Corn would be thrown over the edge.

Suddenly, Poison Jam's arms began to tremble and his breathing became heavy. He clutched his stomach with his free arm and his face winced. Corn could sense that something was wrong with him and took it as his last chance to break free. He thrust his right knee upwards and kicked Poison Jam in the stomach, causing him to release his grip. Corn fell to the ground and quickly crawled away from Poison Jam while rubbing his throat.

Poison Jam fell to his knees, using both of his hands to clutch his stomach. He began to dry-heave.

" _Gah,_ what the hell's... going on with me?" Poison Jam gasped.

Cube looked over to the sick Poison Jam member. "It looks like the sewage water is finally affecting you negatively. I'm surprised it took so long."

Poison Jam quickly removed his mask, exposing his pale white face to everyone for the first time. He began to vomit, the clear viscous liquid dripping through the grating of the catwalk.

Corn looked over at the other Poison Jam members who likewise began to feel sick. They coughed and panted before eventually passing out.

The GGs, aside from Beat, slowly returned to their feet. Rapid 99's leader rushed over to Beat who was still lying on his back with his eyes closed. She picked off the broken pieces of his sunglasses from his face and noticed that he had gotten a black eye.

"Beat? Are you alright?" she asked him, a bit worried.

Beat's eyes blinked open and he saw Rapid 99 looking down at him with a concerned look on her face. He tried to act cool. "Y-yeah… I'm fine…"

"You sure as hell don't _look_ fine," she told him.

Beat sat up. "Trust me, it was nothing. And I can always get new shades."

"You're a shitty liar, you know that?" she replied. "Poison Jam gave you a freaking black eye!"

" _Seriously?_ " Beat felt his eye with his hand, triggering a sharp stinging sensation. " _Ow…_ _shit!_ "

Yoyo looked around at the comatose members of Poison Jam. "Did… did we win?"

"It seems like it," Gum answered, her throat still sore. "Man, we got lucky there."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Combo exclaimed. "Let's go free Garam!"

Corn stretched out his head which caused a twinge of pain in the back of his neck. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck to try to soothe the pain. "Go on without me, Combo. My neck is killing me."

"Follow me, I'll show you where your friend is," Cube said to Combo.

Combo looked at Cube suspiciously. He didn't fully forgive her for what she allowed to happen to Garam, but he had no choice but to trust her just this once. "Alright, lead the way."

Combo skated towards Cube, stopping only to give a downed Poison Jam one last kick to the chest. The Poison Jam member groaned in pain as Combo followed their former leader deeper into the facility. The rest of the GGs stayed behind, still reeling from the intense brawl.


	17. Chapter 17 – Homebound

**Chapter 17 – Homebound**

Combo followed Cube through the sewage facility as she led the way to Poison Jam's hideout. The path to the hideout was maze-like with many twists and turns, and without Cube to guide him he likely would have never found it. After a long and awkward trek they finally arrived at the room where Garam was being held. Combo entered the room and saw Garam chained to the wall next to another skater. Garam looked exhausted, as if he had been chained up for days rather than just a few hours.

Garam looked up and saw Cube lead Combo into the room. "Shit, they got _you,_ too?" he thought.

"Nah man, I'm here to get you outta here," Combo told him.

Cube approached Garam and released him from his shackles. Garam stood up and rubbed his sore wrists, confused as to what had just occurred. "What the hell's going on?" he asked them.

Cube smirked. "It's a long story, but I'm sure your friends will let you know." She proceeded to free Clutch as well. "The gist of it is that Poison Jam and I are parting ways, so I'm letting you guys go. Consider yourselves lucky."

Cube's explanation only confused Garam even more. "Now I'm _really_ curious about what happened," he said.

Combo patted Garam on the back. Despite his clothes being a bit dirty, Garam's condition didn't look too bad. "It's good to see that they didn't hurt you much. I would have felt like shit if they did."

"Well they didn't exactly treat me like royalty, either," Garam said sarcastically. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

"They're up there keeping watch on Poison Jam," Combo told him. "We took them on all by ourselves just to get to you, man!" He elected not to mention the help that they received from Cube and Rapid 99.

Clutch approached the two of them and interrupted their reunion. "Uh, hey, this might seem kinda out of nowhere but is it alright if I join your gang? I mean, if y'all managed to get past Poison Jam then you guys must be _damn_ good, and I wanna be a part of that." Despite his grateful demeanor, he had an ulterior motive for wanting to join the GGs; he was hoping that they would be able to bail him out if he ever got into trouble again.

Combo shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, whatever." He knew that at that point it was unlikely for anyone to be rejected from the GGs.

Garam looked towards Cube. "Hey, you wanna join the GGs, too?" he asked her.

"Don't push it," Cube replied. "Just because I'm splitting from Poison Jam doesn't mean that I'm eager to join another gang."

"You seemed pretty eager when you split from Rapid 99," Garam said dryly. "Are you gonna go crawling back to them now?"

"I'm not that desperate," Cube quipped. "I'm just gonna try my hand at being solo for a while."

"Hey, it's always nice being around people who've got your back," Combo said. "I think the battle we just had proves that."

"Well if I ever want to have a tea party I'll give you guys a call," Cube replied sarcastically. "Now, I'm getting the hell out of here and I suggest that you guys do the same." She skated off on her own, leaving the three men alone in the room together.

Clutch's stomach grumbled. "Yeah, let's get outta here. I'm starving; haven't eaten all day."

"Be thankful that Poison Jam didn't feed you," Combo told him ominously.

They proceeded to leave Poison Jam's hideout together. With Garam at their side he was able to lead them back up to where the rest of the GGs were waiting.

* * *

The GGs were laying back in the sewage facility with Rapid 99, waiting for Combo to return with Garam. The defeated members of Poison Jam laid collapsed on the ground around them, their threat diffused. Rapid 99's leader skated up to one of them who was struggling to stay conscious. She crouched down next to him and stared at him smugly. "I guess we didn't need to fight you punks after all," she said to him. "You were your own downfall."

Poison Jam used what little remaining energy he had left to lift his head up and look her in the eyes. "You girls are slimier than _we_ are," he grumbled before finally passing out.

Rapid 99 chuckled. She turned back around to face the rest of the GGs. "So, are the rest of you guys alright?" she asked them.

"Yeah, we're fine," Corn replied, looking around at the other GGs to see that they weren't too badly injured. "But can I ask you why you came here?"

"I overheard you guys talking back on 99th Street," she answered. "I figured I'd bring my gang here to help you guys out."

Gum returned to her feet and approached Rapid 99's leader. "Were you eavesdropping on us?" she asked her.

"Hey, you were on _our_ turf," Rapid 99 retorted. "I had the right to do whatever I wanted."

"Hey, did you already forget about the big discussion we just had about how turf is meaningless?" Corn reminded Rapid 99. "But don't worry about it. We're grateful that you came to help us out."

"Yeah, seriously. This is the second time you came to our rescue." Gum remarked. "Are you looking for something in return or what?"

"Nah, seeing Poison Jam's demise was enough of a reward," Rapid 99 quipped.

"Well then, all I can say is thanks," Corn replied.

"Don't mention it." Rapid 99 looked over towards Beat and skated up to him. Despite his black eye, he was recovering pretty quickly.

"Hey Beat, you holding up?" she asked him.

"Barely," he replied, feeling his bruised eye.

"Don't worry, it'll heal," she told him.

"I know that, it's just a matter of _when,_ " he replied.

She patted him on the back as a nonverbal way of telling him to hang in there. "Well, me and my gang had better head back now. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, whenever I build up the courage to go out in public with this thing," he answered wryly, pointing to his black eye.

"Hey, just get a new pair of shades to cover it up," she advised him.

"Smart thinking."

Rapid 99 smiled. She turned towards the rest of the GGs. "If you guys need any more of our help, you know where to find us."

The GGs nodded and waved goodbye to her. She regrouped with the rest of her gang and they left the sewage facility together, skating back to their home on 99th Street. Gum stared at her as they left, noticing that she had become close friends with Beat. Was it possible that he _had_ developed feelings for her? The thought of it upset her for some reason.

Just then, Combo and Garam skated towards them with Clutch close behind them. The other GGs quickly got to their feet and surrounded them, grateful that Garam was alright.

"Thank God you're okay," Boogie said to Garam, holding her hand to her chest.

"Hey, who's the other guy?" Gum asked, referring to Clutch.

The rest of the GGs looked over at him as he grinned sheepishly.

"He was my cell mate," Garam answered. "And now he's the newest member of the GGs."

"I don't think now is an appropriate time to be recruiting people," Corn said.

"Why? Who cares?" Garam asked. He looked over and spotted Soda who was standing there expressionless. "Hey, who's _that_ guy?"

Corn looked over to Soda. "Oh, he's the _second_ newest member of the GGs."

Garam chuckled. "Whatever, I just wanna get the hell outta here."

"Yeah, let's get you home," Corn said.

The GGs began making their way out of the sewage facility. Garam looked over to the rest of the GGs, happy to see them again despite it only being a few hours since they last saw each other. He looked over to Beat and noticed his black eye which caused him to burst into laughter.

" _Hahaha, damn,_ Beat!" he exclaimed. "Did Poison Jam get ya, 'cause if they did then they got ya good!"

Beat turned to face Garam, annoyed by his exclamation. _I'm not the one who got himself kidnapped,_ he thought to himself. It seemed inappropriate to say that out loud though, so he held off. "Just this once, Garam, I'm not gonna tell you to shut up."

Garam chuckled. He looked around at the rest of the gang again and noticed that Rhyth wasn't there. "Hey, where's Rhyth?" he asked.

The rest of the GGs looked at each other awkwardly. Corn sighed deeply before explaining the situation to Garam.

* * *

The GGs were relaxing in the Garage as the sun began to set on the city. After the events that had just transpired all everyone wanted to do was to take it easy, but Yoyo was still worried about Rhyth. He approached Corn — who was sitting cross-legged next to Soda on one of the couches — to speak his mind.

"Yo Corn, now that Garam is safe and sound we should go out and look for Rhyth," he said to him. "Poison Jam probably aren't gonna mess with us anymore so it should be alright for us to look around Rokkaku-dai."

"Ugh, could you just _chill_ for a second, kid?" Soda blurted out. "We just got our asses kicked by Poison Jam. I think we could all use some much-needed downtime." He had already resigned to not doing any more work for the day, having kicked off his skates and laid them to the side of the couch.

Corn nodded his head. "Soda's right. Today's been a long day for all of us."

"But if you had just listened to Rhyth then none of that shit would have happened!" Yoyo reminded him.

"I know that, but what's done is done," Corn replied. "Besides, Rhyth left on her own accord. She's old enough to make her own decisions."

"She's _sixteen!_ "

"She was sixteen when she ran away from home, too. Maybe she's just fixing that mistake."

Yoyo couldn't believe what Corn was telling him. "Are you implying that joining the GGs was a _mistake?_ "

"It was for _her._ Didn't you say that she hated all the gang activities that we do? She sure doesn't sound like someone who belongs in a gang, so maybe her leaving was for the best."

Yoyo became increasingly frustrated with Corn's words. "Rhyth was right, you're too lax! How can you call yourself a leader when you don't even _lead_ anyone?"

Corn uncrossed his legs. "I'm not having this argument with you, Yoyo. I've got other things to worry about, like what we're gonna do about Gouji."

"B-but you promised we'd look for her!"

"I'm sorry, but dealing with Gouji is more important."

"Yeah, it's also a hell of a lot harder!"

Corn sighed, frustrated by this conversation as well. "Look, you're free to go look for her on your own if you want."

"I _will!_ " Yoyo began to march off when he looked up at the sky and noticed that it was getting late. "Uh… tomorrow." He skated down the platform — and past Gum who was heading up the platform — and entered the hotel building.

"Man, do we really gotta go out of our way to mess with Gouji?" Soda asked Corn. "The guy seems pretty lax to me."

"Of course," Corn replied. "If we don't do something about him then things will only get worse. Did you forget about the Rokkaku Expo that's coming up?"

Soda groaned. "I know, but still…"

"You're just trying to get out of doing work, aren't you?" Corn deduced. "If you aren't gonna help us deal with Gouji then you could always scoop up the dog shit that's lying around the Garage since that was Rhyth's job."

"Hell, I'd _rather_ do that," Soda replied. "At least I wouldn't be risking my life."

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how toxic Potts' _'deeds'_ can get," Corn joked.

Gum skated up to Corn and Soda. "You guys talking about Gouji?"

"Yeah," Corn answered. "Well, we _were_ before we started talking about Potts' bowel movements."

Gum stared at them weirdly. "Uh… anyway, have you thought about talking to that Jazz girl?" she suggested to Corn. "She seemed more interested in taking down Gouji than anyone else. Maybe you should go look for her tomorrow."

"Good idea," Corn replied. "She'd probably know how to best deal with him."

Soda chuckled. "So you'll go looking for some random girl but you won't go looking for one of your own friends?"

"Hey, _you_ could always look for Rhyth if you want," Corn retorted.

"Is that your comeback to everything?" Soda asked him.

"That depends. Is it working?"

Soda rolled his eyes and stood up from the couch. "I'm going to my room." He picked up his skates from the ground and walked down the platform steps and into the hotel building.

Gum took Soda's seat next to Corn. "What was _that_ about?" she asked him.

"Don't worry about it."

Gum took out a pack of bubble gum and popped one into her mouth. She held out the pack in front of Corn. "Want one?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." Corn watched as Gum put the pack of bubble gum away. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Gum answered while chewing her bubble gum.

"Do you think I'm too laid-back?"

"What do you mean?"

Corn adjusted himself in his seat as he prepared to explain his thoughts to tell her. "Well, Rhyth and Yoyo both seem to think that I don't care enough about the rest of the GGs, and I hate to admit it but they kinda have a point. I didn't do anything to stop Combo and Garam from antagonizing Poison Jam and I'm not doing anything to try and get Rhyth back. I just don't want to boss anyone around unless it's necessary, but that's the thing: when _is_ it necessary?" He paused for a moment before turning his head to face Gum. "What do you think?"

Gum stopped chewing her bubble gum. " _Me?_ I-I don't know," she stammered, caught off guard by Corn's expression of his self-doubts. He had never been concerned about the quality of his leadership before, but up until a few weeks ago they were the only two members of the gang. It seemed like he only now realized the responsibility that he had for the well-being of the others. "Why are you even telling me all this?"

"Because I trust you more than anyone else," Corn admitted. "I don't want to look weak in front of the others, but I'm comfortable sharing these things with you."

Gum was flattered but she still didn't believe that she could help him overcome his insecurities. "I don't know what to tell you, Corn."

"Just tell me if what I'm doing is right or wrong."

"I can't say, because I honestly don't know." She lightly put her hand on his shoulder. "That's why you're the leader; it's _your_ job to do what you think is best for us, and I trust you to make the right decisions." She stood up from the couch and skated off, leaving Corn to ruminate on his own.

Corn thought deeply about Gum's words, letting the background noise from the rest of the courtyard fade out of his awareness. He concluded that she was right; he had to decide for himself whether his actions were right or wrong. He needed to be someone who the others could look up to for help and advice, and he had failed both Garam and Rhyth. He didn't want to fail anyone again.

* * *

Dusk was approaching in Rokkaku-dai Heights as Rhyth walked through her old neighbourhood, still carrying her skates in her hands. The light from the sun cast its final shadows on the decrepit buildings of the district before finally setting over the horizon. It was here that she was most at peace. Everything was so familiar to her, from the dilapidated houses and telephone poles to the sounds of crows and distant factories. It was a weird sort of beauty that maybe only she understood.

As she walked along a dirt pathway, she came across a statue of Rokkaku Shigetsugu, Gouji's father and the previous mayor of Tokyo. She stopped to look at, thinking about how much of a step down Gouji was to his father. And yet, Gouji was the one who greenlit Rokkaku-dai Heights, the place she was fondest of. He had even commissioned a statue of his father and placed it here among the ramshackle buildings as some sort of twisted memorial. Perhaps Gouji didn't realize how insulting it was to place the statue in the middle of a derelict neighbourhood.

Rhyth continued down the dusty path, taking a closer look at the neighbourhood that she had grown to love. She knew that Rokkaku-dai was nothing but a rundown dump built overtop an abandoned railway station, and that her parents only moved there because they were forcefully relocated by the Rokkaku Group. The warm memories that she had of her childhood did not exist _because_ of Gouji, but _despite_ Gouji. If he had not come to power, perhaps her childhood would have been better. Perhaps she never would have felt the need to run away from home. Perhaps the other Rudies never would have, either.

It's not as if the Rudies cared about Gouji anymore though. They were more concerned about turf wars than about the oppressive government. But then again, Gouji was never the reason that _she_ became a Rudie, either. She only did it to escape her previous life; the life that she was now returning to. She wasn't expecting it to make her so homesick though. She thought that running away from home was for the best, but maybe independence wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Or maybe she was just too young to be worrying about independence. Being free to do whatever she wanted had its positives, but she still preferred the protection from the harshness of the real world that living with her parents provided her. There were still so many facets of reality that frightened her, and she wanted to shelter herself from it all and preserve her childlike innocence for as long as possible.

Her memories with the GGs suddenly flashed through her mind and brought upon melancholic feelings. She still considered them to be her friends and she felt a bit of remorse for leaving them so suddenly. She just had to remind herself that she wasn't leaving them forever. Even though she was no longer a Rudie, she could still visit them whenever she wanted to, provided they still _wanted_ her to visit them. She realized that she wouldn't be seeing Potts wander around Kogane anymore, either. She reassured herself that he was better off with the GGs than as a stray.

Rhyth suddenly stopped in her tracks. She had arrived; ahead of her was her parents' house. The small building was barely larger than the single room that she had back at the Garage, and it was packed in between many other buildings of the same size and state of disrepair. Despite that, it was still her home. The lights in the house were off, but it looked no different than it did when she had run away all those weeks ago. Her heart began beating rapidly as she was filled with an overwhelming wave of emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away, ruining her eyeliner in the process.

How would her parents react to seeing her again after so long, she wondered. Knowing them, they would be nothing but grateful to have their daughter back. She chastised herself for not returning home sooner and for making her parents worry. Not wanting to dwell on past mistakes though, she put those thoughts behind her and began approaching the house.

She walked up to the front door, letting her skates slip out of her hands and down to the ground. She ignored them, her mind too preoccupied with the thought of being with her parents again. Her eyes welled up with tears again, but this time she let them run down her face.

Raising her hand up to the door, she took a deep breath and knocked.


	18. Chapter 18 – Gestation

**Chapter 18 – Gestation**

 _Good afternoon, boys and girls! You're tuned in to Jet Set Radio with your host: DJ Professor K!_

 _The GGs got into a huge fight with Poison Jam the other day. Apparently those fish-faced fiends kidnapped one of the GGs, so they went down into the sewers to get their pal back. And would you believe what happened? The GGs actually won, with a little help from Rapid 99 and even Poison Jam's own leader, Cube! Yeah, apparently she gave them an ass-whoopin' and split from the gang. Is she gonna go crawling to the Love Shockers next? Hahahah!_

 _In other news, the Rokkaku Expo Stadium is nearing completion. Do y'all think Gouji actually has a plan for Tokyo, or do you think he's just making shit up as he goes along? I wouldn't put it past him._

 _Until next time, keep grooving to these sweet tunes…_

* * *

The streets of the Benten district were bustling with morning traffic as they whizzed past Corn on his search for Jazz. He had elected to set out from the Garage early in the day to look for her and ended up missing the Jet Set Radio broadcast. He regretted not being there for the broadcast, but he didn't want to waste any daylight.

The only hint he had to go on of Jazz's whereabouts was that she usually hung out in the Benten district, but he needed more specific clues than that. He decided to visit Rapid 99 and ask them if they had seen her that day. Luckily they had, tipping him off to a nearby residential district. Sure enough, he found her there alone in a secluded alleyway and approached her.

Due to the sun being obscured by the overcast sky, the alleyway was dark and cold. Jazz seemed to be inspecting the nearby apartment buildings, looking up at the overhead balconies. She turned around and spotted Corn skating towards her. "What do you want?" she asked him.

Corn's response was blunt. "The GGs need your help," he told her. "We want to take down Gouji, but we don't really know how to go about doing it."

Jazz stared at him curiously. "I heard about the fight you guys got into with Poison Jam, and going by the bruise on your neck it must have been a brutal one."

Corn rubbed his neck, feeling the bruise that Poison Jam gave him. Unlike Beat's black eye, his bruise couldn't be easily hidden from view.

Jazz continued. "So you're still getting into trouble with rival gangs and you didn't seem to care at all about stopping Gouji the last time we talked. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Let's just say that it took a few wise people to change my outlook," Corn replied. "Including you."

Jazz let out a smug grin. She turned her back to Corn and began pacing back and forth. "You know the power outage that's still going on around here?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Corn inquired.

"Well, before the blackout started they always kept the lights in the Expo Stadium off, but ever since the blackout began they've been keeping the stadium lights on twenty-four seven." She stopped pacing and turned to face Corn. "I think the Rokkaku Government are rerouting power from 99th Street into the stadium."

The allegation surprised Corn, but he didn't understand the relevance it had to his request for her help. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked her.

"Remember the last time we talked and I suggested that every Rudie gang would need to team-up if we ever wanted to stand a chance against Gouji?" she reminded him. "You said that getting every rival gang to come together would be impossible." She formed a fist with her right hand and pounded it into her left hand's open palm. "Well, this is _exactly_ the kind of motivation that the gangs need to form a truce. Think about it: the Rokkaku Government is probably doing something to mess with _every_ gang. There's the blackout and Rapid 99, the sewage pollution and Poison Jam, and who knows what else! We just have to notify the other gangs about that stuff and they'd be so pissed at Gouji that they'd team-up with each other just to take him down."

Jazz's plan to unite the Rudie gangs seemed more well-thought-out than Corn expected, but he still had his doubts. "Well, it's not like us GGs would need any help convincing Rapid 99 to help us out," he remarked. "But the other gangs are a tougher sell. We haven't exactly been on good terms with them lately."

"That's _your_ fault," Jazz blamed him. "You should have listened to me sooner."

"I know, I know," Corn admitted.

"It's not too late though," she assured him. "If you guys can make amends with the other gangs then they might still be willing to form a truce — at least temporarily — to take Gouji down."

"Alright, so we've got _that_ part of the plan figured out," Corn established. "But what are we actually gonna _do_ once we round up the gangs together?"

A sheepish grin formed on Jazz's face. "Well, uhh… you see, I haven't actually figured out those specifics yet."

"Seriously?" Corn said exasperatedly.

"But don't worry, I'll figure it out," she reassured him. "I just need some more time to think."

The two of them stood there silently for a moment. Corn still wasn't fully convinced that Jazz would be able to hatch up an effective plan, but at the moment she was the best bet they had. But even if they were to be successful in toppling Gouji's government, there were still so many uncertain variables that could negatively affect the outcome of the state of Tokyo.

"Do you… do you really think things will get better with Gouji gone?" Corn asked Jazz. "I mean, he's only _one_ guy. The entire _system_ is probably corrupt at this point."

"It's the only shot we have," Jazz answered calmly. "We just have to hope that the right people get into power once he's gone."

Corn admired Jazz's confidence in the face of uncertainty. He thought that she would make an invaluable asset to their gang and decided to try to recruit her again. "Hey, I know we already asked you this before but would you like to join the GGs? We could really use someone who's as smart as you in the gang."

"I'm flattered, but I have to decline," she answered him. "At least until I'm sure that you guys are really committed to this plan."

"How much more committed do we have to be?" he asked her. "I told you I was on board, didn't I?"

"When you guys get some of the other gangs on your side, _then_ I'll consider it," she told him.

"Fine, I understand," Corn replied, a bit disappointed by her rejection. "I'll let you know how things go with the whole 'making amends' thing."

"Cool," Jazz responded with a gentle smile. "If we ever need to talk, I know where to find you."

"Yeah, but _I_ don't know where to find _you,_ " Corn said. "What am I supposed to do if I wanna talk to you again? Don't you have a specific hangout spot or something?"

Jazz chuckled. "I'm sure you'll find me if you just look. You always do."

Jazz waved goodbye before turning around and skating away, leaving Corn alone in the dark alleyway.

 _I mean, she's right but it'd be nice if she made things a bit easier for me,_ he thought to himself.

He looked up at the apartment balconies overhead, wondering what Jazz was doing in the alleyway beforehand. He noticed that none of the apartments had their lights on. He recalled that the last time they had met she was investigating the power outage in a residential district as well. _This place must be affected by the outage, too. So she was investigating it this entire time, huh? Man, she's really serious about this stuff.  
_

To Corn, Jazz was becoming more and more an enigma. He turned around and began skating in the direction opposite to the one that Jazz took, making his way out of the alleyway and back to the Garage.

* * *

Beat and Gum were skating through Shibuya after having gone out to eat lunch together. Along the way, Beat had bought himself a new pair of sunglasses which looked nearly identical to his old ones. He had become increasingly self-conscious about his black eye and was hoping that his new sunglasses would cover it up.

"Are you _positive_ that you can't see my black eye?" he asked Gum, wearing the sunglasses that he had just bought.

"Trust me, you look fine," she reassured him. "I can barely see it."

Beat slightly readjusted his sunglasses. "How about now?"

Gum ignored his request. Beat took the hint and stopped bothering her about his black eye. They skated down the sidewalk as police cars sped by them on the road. Beat wondered what the rush was about.

Some of the others GGs were skeptical that they'd be able to take down Gouji, but Beat was optimistic. Perhaps _too_ optimistic. He was hoping that it would be his opportunity to finally accomplish something meaningful in his life. He believed that if he assisted in the overthrowing of Tokyo's government, it would make up for the large chunk of his life that he wasted doing nothing. The dangers of such a mighty task didn't deter him; he trusted Corn to see them through it.

"I hope Corn has a good plan on how to deal with Gouji," Beat said to Gum as they continued skating by each other's side.

"He went to find that Jazz girl to have a chat with her," she replied. "She should be willing to work with us on coming up with a plan."

"I bet Rapid 99 would be willing to help us out, too," Beat suggested.

"They're probably tired of helping us out, don't you think?" Gum surmised.

"Nah, I'm good friends with their leader and she said that she doesn't have a problem with it."

"You and her have been getting pretty close lately, huh?"

Beat's face glowed enthusiastically as he was eager to talk about Rapid 99. "Yeah, I've been a fan of theirs since back when they were a band."

"I know; you've told me about their backstory a hundred times already." Gum had grown sick of hearing about it.

"Well anyway, I mostly just hang out with their leader," Beat continued. "I'm glad she ended up being a cool person. It'd suck if I found out that someone who I look up to was actually a shitty person."

"What about that time they deliberately lied to us?" Gum mentioned.

Beat defended her. "Hey, she apologized and more than made up for it with the amount of times that she's come to our rescue."

Beat seemed to have nothing but positive things to say about Rapid 99. The two of them had gotten closer than Gum had realized, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Gum slowed down a bit. "Do you really look up to her?" she asked Beat.

Beat's skating slowed as well to match Gum's speed. "Well, maybe 'look up to' is a bit strong," Beat reflected. "But I do admire her in a lot of ways."

After a brief silence, Gum worked up the courage to finally ask Beat what was truly on her mind: "How do you _really_ feel about her?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… do you _like_ her?"

Beat's skating abruptly halted as he was taken aback by the question. "Why the hell are you asking me that?"

Gum stopped in front of him and explained her reasoning for the question. "Well, you're always so keen on hanging out with her and you keep talking about how cool she is even though you've only known each other for a week."

"Just because I like hanging out with a girl doesn't mean that I have a _crush_ on them!" Beat exclaimed. "Why would you even _suggest_ that?"

"So is that a 'no' then?"

Beat threw his hands up into the air. " _Of course it is!_ " He began skating away, leaving Gum behind for a moment as she hid her satisfied smirk from him. She quickly regained her composure and caught back up with him. He ignored her, still bothered by her accusation.

 _Why the hell would you ask someone that kind of question?_ he wondered in his head. And yet, ever since he had mentioned Rapid 99's name earlier in the conversation, a weird feeling crept up inside of him. It was a feeling that he had experienced before with a girl at his old junior high school; a girl who he used to like. But was just a silly crush; kids go through that kind of stuff all the time without really meaning it. Was Rapid 99 different though? It was true that his mood brightened whenever he was around her, and even just the mention of her name would invoke warm feelings inside of him. It made him wonder if he perhaps _did_ develop feelings for her in the short time that they knew each other. He didn't want to think about it as the thought made him fluster.

Suddenly, the sounds of motorcycle engines resonated in the distance. Beat and Gum looked ahead and spotted the Hell Bikers approaching on their bikes. As expected, they loudly pulled over on the side of the road next to them.

One of the Hell Bikers removed his helmet and grinned cheekily at them. "What are the lovebirds doing today?" he said to Beat and Gum.

"Piss off," Beat exclaimed, not in the mood to deal with them at the moment.

The Hell Bikers chuckled. "We heard about your fight with Poison Jam. It's pretty impressive that you managed to beat them."

"Uh, thanks," Gum replied, still wary.

"So does that mean the GGs are gonna be taking over Kogane now?" the Hell Bikers asked them. "You guys deserve it considering how big of a _dump_ that place is, _hahahah!_ "

"We don't care about turf anymore," Beat told them. "We have more important things to worry about."

"Oh, is that so? In that case, I guess _we'll_ take over Shibuya Terminal then. You guys won't mind, right? _Hahah!_ " The Hell Bikers laughed amongst each other.

Beat and Gum rolled their eyes and began to skate away, recognizing that it was better to ignore the Hell Bikers than to provoke them.

As they skated away, a black limousine drove down the street parallel to them. Compared to the roaring of the motorcycle engines, the limousine was barely audible as it slowly pulled over in front of the Hell Bikers. Three men in black trench coats and fedoras climbed out of the vehicle and slowly walked over to the Hell Bikers. Beat and Gum turned around to watch from a distance, their curiosity piqued.

"Excuse me," one of the men calmly said to the Hell Bikers, his face barely visible. "We have a warrant issued by the Rokkaku Group for your arrest, the reason given being 'disturbing the peace.' Could you please come with us?" He motioned towards their limousine.

The Hell Bikers laughed in their faces. "Screw you guys, I'd like to see you _try_ to arrest us!"

They began revving their motorcycle engines but before they could take off the three men knocked them off of their bikes and down to the ground, their helmets rolling off of their heads due to them not being strapped on. The men reached into their trench coats and pulled out metal batons.

"Big mistake."

The men stood over the Hell Bikers and lifted their batons up over their heads before thrusting them down towards the Hell Bikers' skulls. They repeated the motion many times, each time striking the Hell Bikers in their heads. The nearby crowds of pedestrians quickly scattered as the Hell Bikers shrieked in anguish with each bludgeon to the skull. The men in trench coats were completely expressionless throughout the entire beating, unfazed by the screams of the Hell Bikers or the blood that began to paint their batons.

Beat and Gum looked on at the scene in horror. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing in broad daylight. Gum covered her mouth with her hand, disgusted but still unable to pull her eyes away from the assault. She became transfixed, both horrified and fascinated by the brutality. She felt Beat pull on her arm and quickly snapped out of her trance. She turned towards him and stared into his eyes, sensing the dread within them.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," he said to her, his voice quavering with fear.

Gum nodded silently. They both rushed towards the Garage as the screams of the Hell Bikers became more and more grotesque before finally waning along with their consciousness.


	19. Chapter 19 – Growing Pains

**Chapter 19 – Growing Pains  
**

Corn returned to the Garage from his chat with Jazz. Beat and Gum were in the courtyard telling the others what they had just witnessed happen to the Hell Bikers, and when they spotted Corn they called him over to share the word with him as well. Corn reacted with revulsion, almost unable to believe what they told him.

" _Are you serious?_ " he exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"We're dead serious," Beat replied, still in shock from witnessing it himself. "Those guys in the trench coats beat their freaking skulls in. It was the worst thing I've ever seen."

Garam didn't see the gravity of the situation. " _Pfft,_ it's not like it'd be hard to beat those old geezers' skulls in," he joked. "They'd probably collapse just by poking them!"

Combo gave Garam a harsh glare. "Don't joke about that shit, man. This is serious." His tone of voice was as sombre as his attitude.

"Those guys were sent by the Rokkaku Group, too," Gum stated.

"Shit," Corn blurted out. "Gouji must be cracking down on Rudies." He began feeling lightheaded and leaned his body against a railing to support himself.

"But they didn't come after _us,_ " Beat mentioned.

"Well it's only a matter of time until they do," Corn replied sternly, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "We should all lie low and not do anything that could provoke the police, at least until this all blows over."

" _If_ this blows over," Gum amended.

The attitude in the Garage quickly shifted from relaxed to uneasy. None of them were sure of what was happening on the streets, but they all knew that it couldn't be good. Soda, not fazed by the news nor interested in conversing with the rest of the GGs, got up from the couch he was sitting on and went inside to his room.

Boogie changed the subject to something more positive. "So, did you find that Jazz chick?" she asked Corn.

"Yeah, we had a chat," Corn replied. "She doesn't exactly have a concrete plan figured out yet, but she said that we should try recruiting the other gangs to help us out."

Garam scoffed at the advice Corn was given. "How exactly does she expect us to get the other gangs on our side? We haven't exactly been on good terms with any of them."

"Aside from Rapid 99," Gum mentioned grudgingly.

Clutch was skeptical of Jazz's plans as well. "Yeah, it sounds like this chick has no idea what she's talking about. She wants us to ask the other gangs for help with the plan, but we don't even know what the plan _is_ yet!"

"I know that things look a bit uncertain right now," Corn said. "But I trust her to come up with something." His words didn't instill them with much confidence.

"Why don't _you_ come up with a plan?" Gum asked him. "You're a smart guy."

"I'm logical-smart, not creative-smart," Corn admitted. "In any case, we should still settle things with the other gangs just so that there are no more rivalries between us. Hostility between gangs is the last thing we need, especially with Gouji's men on our asses."

"That's easier said than done," Beat quipped.

"You're good friends with Rapid 99, aren't you?" Corn remarked. "I bet you could convince them to help us out. I mean, they've done it before even _without_ being asked, so convincing them should be easy."

"But what am I supposed to tell them?" Beat asked Corn. "We don't even have a plan yet."

"Just ask them to be there for us when the time comes for action," Corn told him.

Beat shrugged but agreed to ask Rapid 99 for their help.

"Well that's _one_ gang down," Boogie counted. "But what about the rest? Our fights with the Immortals and Poison Jam are too recent to be trying to patch things up with them."

Beat looked at Gum. "Hey, you used to be friends with the Love Shockers, right?" he recalled. "Why don't you try to get them on board?"

"For the last time, I was never friends with them!" she shouted at Beat, annoyed that he kept bringing it up. "And I doubt I'll be able to talk them into helping us."

"But you're our best shot with them," Beat attempted to convince her. "You might as well give it a try."

Corn interjected. "Hey, if Gum doesn't want to talk to them then it's no big deal." He gave her a compassionate look.

Suddenly, Gum's attitude loosened. "It's alright, Corn," she reluctantly assured him. "I can give it a shot tomorrow. I mean, _someone_ has to, right? And who knows, maybe they'll listen to me this time."

Corn looked at Gum skeptically but ultimately shrugged his shoulders on the matter. She didn't sound very confident, but he saw no reason to try to stop her. Gum herself didn't even fully understand why she agreed to talk to the Love Shockers. She wanted nothing more to do with them, but when Corn came to her defence he implicitly stated that he didn't think she capable of convincing them. That gave her the urge to prove him wrong by agreeing to talk to the Love Shockers. They both knew her history with those girls though, and deep down they both knew that it was a bad idea.

* * *

Rokkaku-dai Heights looked the same as it ever did to Yoyo. The usual sun-kissed buildings were instead tinted with shadows due to the dark storm clouds up above. Despite the gloomy atmosphere though, the buildings were still familiar to him due in no small part to him having seen them plenty of times with Rhyth at his side. He skated down the dusty pathways with caution, still nervous of a potential attack from Poison Jam. The fear still wasn't enough to dissuade him from searching for Rhyth on his own.

The many corners and alleyways of Rokkaku-dai confused him. He hadn't a clue where to look so he was stuck wandering aimlessly throughout the entire area. He recognized some landmarks, but others were utterly foreign to him and none of them led him to Rhyth. He began wondering if he should try knocking on random doors in the hopes that she would be the one to answer them. She _did_ say that she was going to her parents' home, after all. However, knocking on individual doors would take even more time and he was already tired and demotivated, almost to the point of giving up. He felt that he had spent an entire afternoon on a fruitless endeavour and he wasn't sure if he could muster up the energy to do it again tomorrow.

He turned yet another corner and spotted a small park ahead of him. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, his mood suddenly lifting. There, sitting on a park bench all alone, was Rhyth.

Yoyo couldn't help but grin as he quickly skated towards her. She was slumped in her seat, her head facing towards the ground. He called out her name in order to catch her attention.

" _Rhyth!_ "

Rhyth sat up and turned her head towards him as he stopped in front of her. He greeted her with the same enthusiasm as always.

"Man, I've been looking _everywhere_ for you," he told her. Up close though, he noticed that something was wrong with her. Her eyes were red and her eyeliner had run down her face. Her skates were lying underneath the bench and the bottoms of her thigh-high socks were ragged with dirt.

"What's wrong?" he asked her with concern.

Rhyth took a deep breath, choking back tears. "I went to my parents' house, but… but they weren't there. I waited all night for them — I even fell asleep at their front door — but they never came." Her voice was as frail as glass, her usual perkiness completely gone.

"So this morning…" she continued. "I asked one of the neighbours if they knew where my parents were." She couldn't hold herself together and broke out into tears again.

" _They said my parents are in prison!_ "

Yoyo's eyes widened. " _What? Wh-Why?_ "

" _I don't know!_ " Rhyth sobbed. "They... they said that the police arrested my parents for robbery a couple days ago." Tears trickled down her cheek and dripped onto her dress. "But... _I don't get it!_ They didn't have to support me anymore! They should have been able to take care of themselves _without_ resorting to stealing! That's the whole reason I ran away from home in the first place! I thought I was _helping_ them…"

Yoyo sat down next to Rhyth and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Hey, don't blame yourself. What happened to them wasn't your fault."

Rhyth wiped the tears from her eyes, smudging her eyeliner even more. "I know, but I can't help it. I was really looking forward to seeing them again, but now they might be gone from my life _forever._ This…" She struggled to find the right words to express her grief.

"This _sucks._ "

The words came out of her mouth so frankly. She sighed deeply and hunched over, resting her head on her hands. "I don't know what to do, Yoyo. I've got no home, I've got no family… I've got _nothing._ "

"What are you _talking_ about?" Yoyo retorted. "You've got the GGs! You've _always_ had the GGs!"

Rhyth looked into Yoyo's eyes. She could tell that he cared about her, but she was still reluctant to return to the gang.

"I don't know, Yoyo," she muttered softly.

Yoyo removed his hand from her shoulder and placed it on the back of the bench. "Yo, remember how you were complaining about the GGs getting into fights with other gangs and stuff? Well, Corn decided that we ain't gonna be doing that turf war stuff anymore."

Rhyth lifted her head up from her hands. "Really?" It was the first good news she had heard in a long time.

"Yeah," Yoyo replied, sensing Rhyth's lifted spirits. "See, the GGs _do_ care about you."

"Then why are you the only one who came to look for me?" Rhyth asked him.

"It's not that they don't care about you," Yoyo assured her, despite knowing what the others truly thought about her departure. "It's just that they're a bit… uhh… _preoccupied_ with something else."

"Like what?"

Yoyo was hesitant to answer as he knew that Rhyth's reaction wouldn't be positive. "Well, they're… uhh… planning on going after Gouji."

" _What?_ " Rhyth exclaimed, her brief moment of optimism swiftly being overtaken by anxiety. " _Why?_ They can't do that! It's way too dangerous!"

"I know it's dangerous, but it's something that we have to do," Yoyo said. "That's what Corn told me. I didn't really get why we have to go after Gouji either but after he explained it to me it all made sense. Gouji's a bad dude, Rhyth."

"So Corn _hasn't_ changed then." Rhyth crossed her arms. "You said that the GGs were gonna stop getting into fights, but this kind of conflict is even _worse!_ You're not just going after other kids; you're going after _the government!_ "

Yoyo attempted to quell Rhyth's fears. "I know that you don't like all of this fighting, but going after Gouji is more important than all of the gang fights we ever got into _combined._ This time we can actually make a meaningful difference."

Rhyth sighed and leaned herself back on the bench. "I wouldn't have to worry about this stuff if I were home with my parents."

"No, you'd just have to worry about struggling to _survive_ because Gouji's shitty policies put you and your family into poverty." Yoyo said bluntly. "Face it, Rhyth: sooner or later you're gonna have to confront what's going on."

"I'd rather deal with the hand I've been dealt than go out and risk getting arrested, or _worse_ ," she responded.

"But then _nothing_ will improve," Yoyo replied vehemently. "You'll be stuck living a life that never gets better, and not only that but you'll be ensuring that _more_ people will be put in the same crappy situation that _you_ were put in."

Rhyth didn't want to accept it but deep down she knew that Yoyo was right. Throughout her entire childhood she was oblivious to the external forces that controlled her life, and to be suddenly made aware of it all was overwhelming. She sat there silently for a moment and looked at her surroundings. Everything was the same, but her perception of it all had changed. She no longer saw the decrepit infrastructure and scarceness of resources as natural aspects of her life, but as by-products of a careless government. Her parents were no longer there to shelter her from this harsh reality and she felt as if she was suddenly being thrust into adulthood.

"Growing up is scary, huh?"

Yoyo looked at her quizzically and asked her what she meant.

"It's all just too much," she continued. "I wish I could go back to being a kid again. Things were so much simpler then. So much… happier."

Yoyo was taken aback by Rhyth's uncharacteristic pessimism. "Yo, just because we grow up doesn't mean that our lives have to turn to shit. I _still_ act like a kid, and I always will. You know why? Because I _can,_ and because it's _fun._ Sure, things have changed. A _lot._ But _we_ don't have to. I can still be the stupid goofball that I always was, and you can still be the kind-hearted person that _you_ always were; the person who finds joy in the simplest of things, like the sun setting over Rokkaku-dai."

Rhyth looked at Yoyo and smiled for the first time since she had left the GGs. Yoyo returned the smile in kind.

"Gouji is the last major obstacle," he continued. "Once he's gone, it'll be like a huge load off our shoulders. Things will get _a lot_ better, and then we'll be free to skate around until we're old and wrinkly."

Rhyth giggled. "I'd like to see that." Behind her messy hair and smudged eyeliner was a face that radiated with happiness again.

Yoyo was glad to see Rhyth back to her old self. He stood up from the bench. "Well, strap on your skates and let's head to the Garage before it starts to rain. I know the others will be happy to see you. And don't worry about Poison Jam messing with you; we took care of them."

Rhyth grabbed her skates from underneath the bench and began putting them on her feet. "Good, because walking around in just my socks was _killing_ my feet." Once she had secured her skates to her feet, she stood up and looked at Yoyo. "Thanks for finding me, Yoyo. I'm sorry for burdening you with all of my problems."

"Hey, don't mention it. I wasn't gonna let you leave us _that_ easily!" he quipped.

Rhyth smiled and hugged him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. "I'm glad that you care about me so much," she said while resting her head on his shoulder.

Yoyo awkwardly shook her off. "Y-you're just a good friend is all." He hoped that he wasn't visibly blushing.

Rhyth giggled which only made Yoyo even more red in the face. The two of them began making their way back to the Garage, skating side by side as the storm clouds above began to disperse.

* * *

The sky over the Garage had cleared up and the GGs were hanging around outside. Boogie and Soda were riding up and down the makeshift halfpipe for their own amusement. Beat had left to get some pizza for the gang to eat. Corn was busy installing an outdoor television underneath the courtyard platform, mounting it to one of the support pillars while Gum held it in place. On top of the platform, Combo, Clutch, and Garam were sitting on the couches chatting amongst each other.

"Now that Poison Jam ain't a threat anymore, I think I'm gonna finish that tag I started at Kibogaoka Hill," Clutch said to them.

"What were you doing out there, anyway?" Garam asked him. "That place is way out in the middle of nowhere."

"I was doing what I always do: spraying over other people's tags," Clutch answered with a smirk.

"Are you looking to get yourself killed or something?" Combo asked him. He looked over at Garam. "And we thought _we_ were risking it by trying to fight Poison Jam."

"Oh, come on, it's no big deal," Clutch replied casually. "It's fun!"

"It's an act of war, man," Combo retorted. "You can't go doing that shit, especially now that you represent the GGs."

"Says the guy who literally picked a fight with Poison Jam," Clutch countered.

"What me and Combo did was stupid," Garam admitted. "We know that now. Hell, I got freaking _kidnapped_ for it. And _you_ did too, so I don't know why you're so eager to cause more havoc. Especially when Corn wants us to start being friendly with the other gangs."

Combo nodded silently, expressing his agreement with Garam's words.

"That shit's boring," Clutch remarked, leaning back on the couch. "I didn't become a Rudie to be nice to everyone."

"Well I'm sure Corn won't have a problem with kicking you out of the gang if you cause trouble," Combo replied.

Clutch crossed his arms. "Whatever," he grumbled. "Why did _you_ guys become Rudies, anyway?"

"You wanna know why _I_ became a Rudie?" Combo began, raising his voice. "I'll tell you why: last year, my best friend was killed by some crazy cops _just_ because he talked back at them for hassling him all the time. That's when I realized that there's no point in following the rules of society if following them can still get you killed by the people who are supposed to protect you." He slowly calmed himself down. "That's why I can't wait for Gouji to be gone."

Clutch and Garam were both taken aback by Clutch's sudden outburst and they didn't know how to respond.

"Uhh… shit man, that's… that's heavy stuff," Clutch finally uttered.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to hear about your friend," Garam said to Combo.

"It's fine," he replied. "Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood. I was just answering the question."

"You sure as hell answered it," Clutch quipped. "I was just gonna say that I became a Rudie to mess with people, but that sounds pretty stupid now."

"Yeah, and look where it got you, too," Garam commented.

"Sure, I got beat up a bit, but now I'm a member of the biggest gang of Rudies on the streets," Clutch noted.

"That don't mean much when it's the _cops_ who are the threat now," Garam remarked. "But we're gonna take down Gouji and his cronies no matter what."

Clutch was still reluctant about the entire ordeal. "I dunno, man. I'd kinda rather not mess with Gouji if it means I don't have to get shot."

"We're _always_ gonna be at risk of Gouji coming after us," Combo replied. "Look at the Hell Bikers; they didn't do shit to Gouji and they _still_ got their skulls caved in."

"Man, I feel bad for joking about what happened to them earlier," Garam said, feeling a tinge of regret.

"Do you think they'll live?" Clutch asked them.

"Who knows?" Combo wondered. "I heard sirens not long after it happened. How nice of Gouji's boys to call an ambulance after nearly beating them to death." His tone of voice was clearly sarcastic.

"Even if they _do_ live, they're still gonna be suffering for the rest of their lives," Garam figured.

Soda, no longer riding the halfpipe, skated by the raised platform and overheard the group's conversation. "Man, could you guys talk about something else?" he shouted up at them. "You're bumming me out."

The group turned around and looked down the edge of the platform to face him.

"Man, what's with you, Soda?" Combo asked him. "It seems like you don't give a shit about what Gouji does."

"I care about things when they directly affect me," Soda said to them.

"Dude, that's selfish," Combo told him, shaking his head.

"Why'd you join the GGs then if you only care about yourself?" Garam asked him.

"Because I'm not stupid," Soda replied. "You guys are the biggest Rudie gang on the streets so of _course_ I'm gonna join y'all." He looked around the Garage. "This hangout spot is pretty sweet, too."

"Well, you can't fault him for that logic," Clutch said with a chuckle, recognizing the similarities he shared with Soda.

"But why'd you become a Rudie in the first place?" Combo asked Soda.

Soda shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, I was bored."

"Well, we can fault him for _that_ logic," Garam remarked.

"Hey man, there doesn't have to be a reason for _everything,_ " Soda said to him. "Sometimes life just happens. Life made me a Rudie, and that's just how it is."

"Did life also make you a callous jerk?" Combo quipped. Clutch and Garam laughed at the joke, while Soda grudgingly skated away and into the hotel. Boogie, tired from her skating session, climbed out of the halfpipe and into the centre of the courtyard to join up with the others.

Suddenly, Yoyo entered the Garage with Rhyth by his side. Everyone in the courtyard turned to face them, surprised to see her return so suddenly. The first person to welcome her back was Potts, who immediately ran up to her and began pawing at her legs. She kneeled down to pet him, happy to see him as well.

Corn dropped his tools and approached them. "So, you found her…" he said to Yoyo.

Rhyth stood up again as Potts sat by her side. "Corn… I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. That was awfully rude of me."

"Don't be sorry," Corn told her. " _I'm_ the one who should be apologizing. You were right all along."

Rhyth smiled as Corn continued. "If only I listened to you, Garam would've never been kidnapped by Poison Jam."

" _What?_ " Rhyth exclaimed, this being the first time she heard about Garam's kidnapping.

"Yo, don't worry about it, Rhyth," Yoyo said in an attempt to calm her down, but Rhyth ignored him and rushed up the platform towards Garam.

"Oh my god, Garam, are you alright?" she asked him worriedly.

Garam chuckled while he was sitting comfortably on the couch. "What does it _look_ like?"

"What did they do to you?"

"Not much, thankfully. Aside from a punch to the gut and some funky stains on my pants, I'm fine. _Beat's_ the one who got a black eye."

"Oh no, that's awful!" Rhyth exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked around the courtyard but Beat was nowhere to be seen.

Garam stood up off the couch and began talking sincerely. "Hey Rhyth, I just want you to know that I've always appreciated your concern for me even though I never show it. I just don't like worrying about that stuff, like back when I nearly fell off of that rooftop in the skyscraper district."

"Wait, _what?_ " Combo exclaimed. "When did _that_ happen?"

"Back when we were looking for the Goddess," Boogie explained to him. "Rhyth told us about it when you two left to fight Poison Jam."

"She did?" Garam was unaware that she had told them. "Uh, sorry for not mentioning it earlier, guys. I just didn't want y'all to stress out over it."

"Honestly, even if you _did_ tell us I probably wouldn't have taken it as seriously as I should have," Corn said. He skated towards Rhyth. "Rhyth, you were right about me not caring enough for the wellbeing of the gang, but all of that's gonna change. I'm finally gonna take my role as a leader seriously." He patted her on the shoulder. "But enough about that drama. Welcome back." He greeted her back with a warm smile.

Rhyth smiled as well. She was grateful that the GGs had so readily accepted her back into the gang, and she was happy that Corn took her words to heart. Even though she would be without her parents, she figured that things were going to be more than fine.

Gum skated up to Rhyth. "Hey Rhyth, you might wanna wash your face off; your makeup is totally ruined." Everybody could tell that she had been crying.

"Oh!" Rhyth eeped, her face turning red. She quickly skated into the hotel to wash up.

"Damn, Yoyo," Clutch remarked. "What'd you do to make her cry?"

"Nothing!" Yoyo replied. "She was like that when I found her."

"What was she crying about?" Gum asked him.

Yoyo was reluctant to tell them as he cared about Rhyth's privacy. "Uhh, I probably shouldn't tell you guys without asking her first."

Gum immediately understood and backed off. "Oh, don't worry about it then."

Just then, Beat skated into the Garage while carrying three boxes of pizza.

" _Pizza's here!_ " he shouted, placing the boxes down onto the ground. "Man, skating while carrying these boxes is a hell of a challenge."

Everyone in the courtyard gathered around him to grab a slice. For a moment, they forgot about the uncertainties that lied ahead and just enjoyed their time together.

"Do you think there's enough for Rhyth?" Corn asked Beat.

"Why?" Beat wondered while looking around the courtyard. "She's back?"

Corn nodded.

"Well, we can just give less to Yoyo then," Beat joked.

" _Hey!_ "


	20. Chapter 20 – In The Back of My Mind

**Chapter 20 – In The Back of My Mind**

 _Yo, this is DJ Professor K and you're tuned in to Jet Set Radio!_

 _To start us off, I've got some bad news from the streets: the Hell Bikers got beaten half to death by a mysterious group of men the other day. I doubt dudes their age will be able to come back from that._

 _Apparently those suspicious men were members of the Golden Rhinos, a group of trained assassins funded by the Rokkaku Group. It looks like they're starting to crack down hard on any Rudies they think are causing trouble, so be careful out there!_

 _In other news, we just got word that the Noise Tanks have been spotted skating around Benten. Rumour had it that they disappeared after their spat with the Immortals, with some accounts even saying that they flew outta Tokyo on jetpacks! Well, I dunno if I believe that but they were definitely missing in action until now. I wonder what they were up to._

 _That's all the news I've got for today. Remember to stay safe out there, Rudies…_

* * *

The sun was shining down on the streets of Shibuya, but Gum's mood was anything but bright. She was making her way towards Hikage Street to speak with the Love Shockers about the plan to take down Gouji. She hadn't rehearsed what she was going to say to them; she didn't see the point, knowing that a conversation with the Love Shockers was anything but predictable. Those women knew how to twist a conversation to suit their own desires.

Gum wasn't optimistic that she'd be able to convince the Love Shockers to help them, but she had no choice but to try. She foolishly promised Corn that she would take care of it and she didn't want to let him down. Even if the Love Shockers ultimately rejected her appeal, she could at least say that she made an attempt to persuade them.

She skated into a dark alleyway that connected to Hikage Street. The surrounding apartment buildings blocked out the sun's rays, and numerous tower cranes reached high into the sky; vestiges of a troubled construction project. She recalled those same tower cranes standing tall a year ago when she and the Love Shockers would hang out together in the nearby area. Not much had changed since those days, Gum thought. She skated onwards, not wanting to dredge up unpleasant memories.

She turned a corner and spotted the Love Shockers sitting together on a bench. Gum noticed that they were no longer wearing their matching gang outfit and instead were wearing relatively plain clothes; they were even wearing shoes rather than skates. The lone remnant of their old fashion style was a pink scarf, worn by only one member of the group who Gum deduced to be their leader. They stood up from the bench when they spotted Gum approach them.

The leader of the Love Shockers crossed her arms. "What are _you_ doing here?" She didn't seem content with Gum's presence.

"The GGs have a proposition for you," Gum told them.

The Love Shockers' leader held her open palm out in front of Gum's face. "Stop right there. Whatever it is you're selling, we're not interested. So beat it."

"This is important," Gum tried to explain to them. "The deal I'm about to propose benefits _both_ of our gangs."

The Love Shockers' leader lowered her hand and a solemn expression formed on her face. "We're not a gang anymore, as you can probably tell by what we're wearing. Shit just got too dangerous for us, and the Jet Set Radio broadcast earlier today only confirmed our fears that Gouji is beginning to hunt Rudies down."

"That's what I came here to talk to you guys about," Gum said. "Us GGs are planning on going after Gouji to take _him_ down, but we can't do it without your help."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" the Love Shockers' leader exclaimed. "Did you _hear_ what happened to the Hell Bikers? They got their freaking skulls bashed in! There's no way we're risking having that happen to us."

"But you'll _always_ be in danger with Gouji still in power," Gum said to them.

"They won't touch us if we're laying low," the leader of the Love Shockers replied.

"Are you really naïve enough to believe that?" Gum asked them rhetorically.

"Look who's calling who naïve," the Love Shockers countered.

"I'm being serious here," Gum replied. "Look, I was there when the Hell Bikers got beat up. I saw what happened to them firsthand. Those guys in the trench coats said that they were arresting the Hell Bikers for 'disturbing the peace.' What the hell kind of bullshit accusation is that?"

"Well, their bikes _were_ pretty loud," the Love Shockers' leader mused.

"They found a reason to take the Hell Bikers down and they'll find a reason to take _you_ down, too," Gum argued. "Even if they have to make up a reason to go after you."

"They won't touch us if we quit being a gang," the Love Shockers' leader responded. "He wants to get rid of us Rudies? Fine; we'll give him what he wants. I don't care about being a Rudie anymore, anyway. I value my life over that stupid label."

"Being a Rudie is more than just a label," Gum replied. "It's a form of protest against the Rokkaku Government."

The leader of the Love Shockers rolled her eyes. "Oh _please,_ as if you GGs gave a shit about going after Gouji until now."

"You're right, we didn't," Gum admitted. "But we do now, and that's why we need your help. Don't think that Gouji's gonna leave you guys alone just because you're no longer Rudies."

"Why wouldn't he?" the Love Shockers' leader asked Gum. "He's got nothing against us."

"Did you forget that he's _crazy?_ " Gum retorted.

"He's crazy, but he's also too stupid to recognize us without our skates and outfits," the leader of the Love Shockers figured.

"Give Gouji a bit more credit than that," Gum replied. "He's gotta be a smart guy if he's still in power."

"Well, he's sure as hell smarter than _your_ leader," the Love Shockers' leader said with a smirk. The other Love Shockers giggled amongst each other.

Gum glared at them. "What do you guys have against Corn?" she asked them.

"He's the one who came up with the stupid idea to go after Gouji, isn't he?" their leader presumed. "Only a dumbass would come up with a crazy plan like that."

"It's better than _your_ plan," Gum retorted. "Just hiding in the hopes that this all blows over? That's not gonna change anything!"

"Well, you can either listen to us or listen to gunfire," the Love Shockers' leader said bluntly. "I guess Corn doesn't mind putting the lives of his so-called _'friends'_ on the line." A wry smirk formed on her face. "But I suppose he's used to being shot down."

The other Love Shockers oohed at their leader's sharp quip. Gum looked down at the ground and clenched her shaking fist. She knew that they were trying to provoke her, and she was desperately trying to keep herself restrained for her own sake. The Love Shockers' leader sensed that she was near a breaking point and continued taunting her.

"In fact, I bet he'd _want_ to see you get shot after what you did to him."

She struck a nerve. Gum dashed towards her and grabbed her by her shirt collar. " _Shut the hell up!_ " she yelled into her face, her words reverberating off the walls of the alleyway. "You know _nothing_ about me and Corn! Got that? _Nothing!_ "

The other Love Shockers stood up from the bench and attempted to push Gum away from their leader, but she wouldn't let go of the collar. Gum finally released her grip when the Love Shockers knocked her helmet off of her head. She stepped back and regained her composure.

"It ain't hard to set you off, huh?" the leader remarked, brushing off her clothes. "You're still as insecure as you were a year ago." She waved Gum away. "Now get the hell out of here. And next time you guys want to send us a message, send someone who _won't_ flip out at us." She turned around and walked away as the other members of her former gang followed close behind her.

Gum was still seething, but she restrained herself from going after them. Negative thoughts filled her head again, eating at her self-confidence. Just as she predicted, she failed to recruit the aid of the Love Shockers. That wasn't what was tormenting her though; what bothered her the most was the reopening of old wounds. Like their previous confrontation, the Love Shockers brought up something that she had been trying so desperately to forget. It was a futile effort though; the only way for her to truly overcome her thoughts was to confront them head-on. She just couldn't muster up the courage to do so though.

She picked her helmet up off the ground and carried it in her right hand as she skated out of the alleyway. She continued to ruminate on her past during the trek back to the Garage.

* * *

Rhyth and Yoyo were skating side by side through Rokkaku-dai Heights. The sun's rays shone down on the area and refracted in the murky waters of a nearby river. The scene was still pleasing to Rhyth, but Yoyo was beginning to tire of skating through the same area over and over again.

"Yo, do we _always_ have to skate here?" he asked Rhyth. "Why don't we skate somewhere else instead?"

"Because I like it here the most," she responded meekly.

"I know, but we should change things up once in a while, ya know?" he argued.

"You can always skate somewhere else if you want," she told him. "You don't _have_ to skate with me all the time."

"But I _want_ to," he replied.

"You were just complaining about it a moment ago!" she said.

"I was complaining about skating _here_ , not about skating with _you,_ " he explained. "This place is boring, but hanging out with you more than makes up for it." He didn't realize how embarrassing his words sounded until it was too late. He quickly shut his mouth, but Rhyth had caught what he said.

She smiled. "You really like me, huh?"

Yoyo stopped in his tracks, his face turning red. "It's nothing like _that!_ You're just fun to be around!"

Rhyth simply stared at him with a goofy grin on her face.

"What?" Yoyo said, wondering why she wasn't saying anything.

Rhyth grabbed his arm and gently ran her hand down it. "I really appreciate having you as a friend," she said warmly.

Yoyo began blushing even more. "Yeah, yeah, you already told me that," he replied. He began mumbling under his breath, "Geez, you don't have to make things so embarrassing."

"You really _do_ act like a kid, you know that?" she teased him.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked her.

Rhyth leaned towards Yoyo and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Yoyo jumped back, taken off guard by her sudden advance. He rubbed his cheek while she continued staring at him goofily.

"Wh-What was _that_ about?" he stammered.

"Stop acting so shy," she said to him playfully. "I know you have a crush on me."

"N-no I don't!" he asserted.

"You're so bad at hiding it, too," Rhyth giggled. "I can even tell that you liked that little kiss on the cheek I just gave you."

"No I didn't!" Yoyo once again asserted. "Well… I mean, I guess it was nice but… y-you're just projecting _your_ feelings onto _me!_ "

Rhyth looked away from Yoyo and shuffled her feet with her hands held behind her back. "Maybe, but at least I'm not too shy to admit it."

"I'm not shy!" Yoyo shouted, clearly flustered.

"Then prove it," Rhyth dared him. "If you can admit your true feelings for me, maybe you'll get more than just a kiss on the cheek." She bit her bottom lip coyly.

Yoyo held his hands up and took a step back from Rhyth. "Wh-Whoa, what are you _saying,_ Rhyth? W-We're too young to do that kinda stuff!"

Rhyth lightly shoved him. "I didn't mean _that,_ you weirdo! Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Yo, my mind ain't in the gutter!" Yoyo retorted.

Rhyth rolled her eyes. "Are you just gonna keep avoiding it or are you actually gonna come out and say what we _both_ want to hear?"

Yoyo was anxious. He loved Rhyth, but he was too shy to actually admit it to her. He didn't know if she felt the same way about him — as he was completely oblivious to her overt flirting.

He looked around to see if anyone else was in the area; they were both alone. He leaned in closer to Rhyth and spoke to her in a hushed tone: "Promise not to tell anyone."

"Why does it have to be a secret?" she asked him.

" _Just promise!_ " he demanded.

"Okay, I promise," she quickly yielded.

Yoyo sighed deeply. He finally mustered up the courage to tell her how he felt. "Okay… I like you. There, you happy?"

A wide grin formed on Rhyth's face. "I like you too," she replied.

Yoyo was in disbelief. "R-really? That's awesome!" His reaction was juvenile but endearing all the same. He couldn't contain his happiness, especially when Rhyth's smile was so infectious. It gave him the courage to take things even further. "D-Do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

Rhyth beamed with glee. "I'd like it more than anything else."

Yoyo was overjoyed and fist pumped the air. " _Sweet!_ B-But you still can't tell anyone, got it?"

Rhyth giggled. "If you're gonna be a big baby about it then I won't tell anyone," she reassured him. "For now."

Yoyo breathed a sigh of relief. "So, what's my reward?" he asked her.

Rhyth grinned impishly. " _This._ "

She leaped towards Yoyo for a long kiss on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck. Yoyo stood still, frozen in her warm embrace and tender kiss. It took him a moment before he thought to put his arms around her waist.

* * *

Beat was skating on the overpass that led from the Garage to the Benten district. Just as Gum was sent to speak to the Love Shockers, he was making his way towards 99th Street to speak with Rapid 99 about their plan to go after Gouji. Even without a specific strategy to discuss, he was fairly confident that Rapid 99 would agree to assist them.

While he approached 99th Street, he began thinking about yesterday's conversation between him and Gum. Specifically, how she suggested that he had a crush on Rapid 99's leader. The thought of it never left his mind, and now that he was meeting up with her in person he would have to put his feelings to the test.

He reached the point of the overpass that connected to 99th Street and looked towards Benten Tower. He could see a womanly figure with pigtails standing alone atop the tower, instantly recognizable as a member of Rapid 99. He only hoped that she was their leader and not one of the other members of the gang.

He hopped off of the overpass and skated towards the tower, swerving through busy crowds of people. He reached the base of the tower and began ascending the spiraling dragon sculpture. Once he reached the top, a surprised member of Rapid 99 turned towards him. Her teal lipstick confirmed that she was their leader.

"Oh, hey Beat," she greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing," Beat answered, a bit flustered. "I just came to see you. How've you been doing?"

The leader of Rapid 99 grinned. "I can't help but be in a good mood now that Poison Jam's been dealt with."

"I hear ya," Beat replied. "But actually, I came here to discuss important gang matters."

"Oh, I see. Corn sent ya, huh?" Rapid 99's leader sat down on the roof with her legs outstretched. "Well, what is it?"

Beat sat down next to her, his heart beginning to beat faster. "Well, the GGs are planning on going after Gouji but we need the help of some of the other gangs."

The leader of Rapid 99 smirked. "You guys are getting too dependant on us."

"I know," Beat admitted. "But you'll benefit from having Gouji gone, too. You've been thinking of getting the band back together, right? Well, with Gouji gone you guys won't have to worry about not getting airplay."

"I dunno, that still sounds like wishful thinking to me," she replied. "And I don't even know what kind of help we'd be. Let's be honest, we didn't exactly contribute much to the fight with Poison Jam, and Gouji is an even _bigger_ beast."

Beat scratched the back of his neck. "Well, to tell you the truth, we don't even have an idea yet of _how_ we're gonna take him down."

Rapid 99's leader chuckled. "I thought Corn was supposed to be a pretty smart guy."

"He is, we just need more time to think of something," Beat said. He gently nudged her with his elbow. "Hey, if _you_ get any ideas then let us know."

" _Pfft,_ yeah, right!" she replied sarcastically. "Coming up with plans was Cube's forte, not mine."

Beat smiled gently in response and the two of them became silent. Beat looked away from the leader of Rapid 99 and towards the horizon. Despite his multiple visits to the top of the tower, the view of the surrounding cityscape never ceased to delight him.

"You sure love this view, huh?" Rapid 99's leader commented.

"Yeah," Beat responded before becoming silent again.

The view wasn't the only thing that he was enamored of. Ever since the leader of Rapid 99 greeted him moments earlier, butterflies were fluttering inside his stomach. It was undeniable; he had a crush on her. A thought worried him though: how did she feel about him?

He looked down and noticed both of their hands resting next to each other. Her hand looked delicate and warm; he wanted nothing more than to hold it in his own hand. He slowly inched his hands towards hers until they finally met. She felt his sudden touch and looked down towards their hands, noticing his resting on top of hers.

"Wh-What are you doing?" she asked him timidly.

Beat's face turned red. He didn't know how to respond; should he come up with a flimsy excuse or should he admit his feelings to her? He didn't want to risk ruining their friendship, but he couldn't hide his emotions forever and delaying his confession would only make things more unbearable for him.

"Alright, I'm just gonna come out and say it," Beat began. "I…. I like you, okay? I _really_ like you, and… I want you to be my girlfriend." He cringed at his own awkwardness. "Look, I'm not good at this whole thing. You're the first girl who I've ever felt this way about – felt like I was truly in _love_ with. So excuse my sloppy confession but… will you go out with me?"

The leader of Rapid 99 stared at him blankly throughout his entire spiel. She slowly pulled her hand away from his and turned her head away. "So, this wasn't just about important gang matters, huh?"

A knot formed in Beat's throat. _I blew it,_ he thought to himself. _Goddammit, I blew it. I finally meet an amazing girl and I screw it all up._

The leader of Rapid 99 ran her hands through her hair before looking back towards Beat. "My real name's Kat."

Beat was confused. "Wh-Why are you telling me that _now?_ " he asked her.

She smiled. "Well, if we're gonna be dating then I want you to call me by my real name."

Beat's facial expression shifted from despair to joy. The knot in his throat swiftly disappeared as he was overcome with a wave of relief. He didn't know what to say, but no words were necessary; she liked him too, and that's all that mattered to him. He reached over to her hands and held them both in his, gripping them gently. They were delicate and warm – just as he expected – and he didn't want to let go. They looked into each other's eyes, sensing each other's affection for one another. Slowly, they leaned towards each other until their lips touched. They shared a lengthy and passionate kiss with their eyes closed. When their lips parted, Beat opened his eyes to the sight of a woman who looked even more beautiful than she did moments before.

They continued holding hands as they shared the view from the top of the tower. The bustling crowds of people, the dense street traffic – it all seemed so insignificant to them. Even their worries about Gouji drifted away. They wanted the moment to last forever.

Beat really was on top of the world.


	21. Chapter 21 – Rift

**Chapter 21 – Rift**

Beat skated into the Garage from the overpass. It was almost evening; he had spent more time with Kat — Rapid 99's leader — than he'd anticipated. In his hands was a CD that she gave to him. He scanned the Garage from up on the overpass and saw Corn and Gum talking to each other in the courtyard. He wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to tell the others that he was dating a member of another gang, so he decided to hide the CD in his room without anyone noticing. He stuffed it underneath his shirt and quickly darted towards the hotel building, but before he could head inside he was stopped by Corn and Gum who wanted to have a talk with him.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Corn asked him.

"Nothing, we were just chatting," Beat answered grudgingly, not wanting to start a lengthy conversation at the moment.

"With Rapid 99, I presume," Gum reckoned.

"Gum wasn't able to persuade the Love Shockers to help us out," Corn said to Beat. "Apparently their gang split up or something. But I'm guessing it wasn't hard for you to persuade Rapid 99, right?"

"Yeah, they're willing to help," Beat told them as he skated into the hotel building.

Corn observed Beat's odd behaviour. " _Someone's_ in a rush," he commented before looking back at Gum. "Well anyway, we don't have too many gangs left to talk to. There's Poison Jam, but we should probably wait a while before poking _that_ beast again." He chuckled. "So I guess we should try asking the Immortals or the Noise Tanks next."

"I don't think any of us have a close relationship with either of those gangs," Gum remarked, "so it probably won't be easy to get them on our side."

Corn scratched his chin. "You know, Jazz mentioned that if we figure out some way that Gouji is messing with the other gangs, we could use that as leverage to get them mad at him. Then they should be more willing to help us out."

Gum expressed her doubts. "I dunno, man. The Immortals got off scot-free after they were caught with the Goddess, so they probably don't have too bad of an impression of Gouji and his boys."

"Maybe the cops _did_ do something to them," Corn speculated. "It's worth questioning them about. Are you in?"

Gum shrugged. "Get Beat to come with you. I just wanna chill for a bit if that's alright."

Corn nodded and entered the hotel building to find Beat again. Gum skated into the courtyard and sat down on one of the couches atop the raised platform. She didn't mention to Corn the ordeal that the Love Shockers had put her through. She believed that telling him about it would not only make her seem weak, but also bring up bad memories for him as well. She took off her helmet and laid her head on the backrest of the couch, looking up at the clouds above. She became lost in thought.

Inside the hotel building, Corn skated down the tiled hallway towards Beat's room. The door to his room was slightly ajar, so Corn opened it further. He caught a glimpse of Beat stashing something underneath his bed while mumbling quietly.

"I'm gonna have to borrow Combo's boombox later to rip this thing to my music player," Beat muttered to himself.

Corn stepped into the room. "What are you doing?" he asked Beat.

Beat quickly turned around and stood up. "Oh, nothing."

Corn was suspicious but decided not to pry. "Whatever, I need you to come with me to Pharaoh Park to talk to the Immortals."

"About Gouji?" Beat asked for clarification. "Do we have to do it _now?_ "

"Yes and yes," Corn answered bluntly.

"Can't you talk to them on your own?" Beat asked him.

"I need you to be my backup," Corn told him. "The Immortals probably still have some pent-up hatred for us and I don't want to confront them alone."

"Those guys are nothing! You wouldn't need any help to take them down."

"Better safe than sorry."

Beat groaned but ultimately relented and agreed to come with him. He looked down to make sure that nothing was visibly sticking out from underneath his bed before leaving his room with Corn.

* * *

Beat and Corn were skating down the Benten overpass on their way to Pharaoh Park. They passed by 99th Street where Beat had earlier confessed his love to Rapid 99's leader. He kept staring at Benten Tower as they skated past it, which Corn duly noticed.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Rapid 99, huh?" Corn casually mentioned.

"You're not the only one to notice," Beat replied.

"I think _everyone's_ noticed by now."

Beat thought about whether he should tell Corn that he was dating Rapid 99's leader. Nobody had a problem with them spending so much time together — at least not openly. Above all else, Corn was the GGs' trusted leader and if _he_ didn't take issue with it then the rest of the GGs would have no reason to, either.

Beat looked away from the tower and faced Corn. "I… I actually just asked their leader out."

Corn raised an eyebrow. "Did she say yes?"

Beat smirked. "Of course. Who could say no to _me?_ "

Corn chuckled. "So _that's_ why you took so long to get back from 99th Street." He gave Beat a friendly pat on the back. "Well, congrats, man."

"Uh, thanks," Beat replied. "So you don't have a problem with me dating someone from another gang?"

"Why would I? You know me; I'm a man of few rules."

"Right, right," Beat nodded. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Man, it feels good to finally have a girlfriend."

"You've never had one before?" Corn asked him.

"Nope," Beat answered, "she's my first. And not a bad first, if I do say so myself."

They silently continued onward as Benten Tower faded from their view. All that could be heard was the sound of distant cars.

"What about you?" Beat asked Corn.

"Huh?"

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Beat clarified.

Corn bobbed his head sideways, thinking of what to say. "Uhh… yeah, I guess you could say that."

"How was she?" Beat probed. "Was she hot? And why'd you guys break up?"

Corn sighed. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Why not?" Beat asked him. "Even if it was a shitty relationship, it's all in the past, right?"

"Not entirely," Corn muttered under his breath.

They arrived at the skyscraper district, with Pharaoh Park just up ahead. Corn entered Pharaoh Park ahead of Beat and skated into the main area. The Immortals were in their usual spot in the center of the park, and they weren't pleased to see members of the GGs approaching them. The Immortal without a hat — who Beat had confronted alone during the GGs' search for the Goddess — stepped forward to talk to Beat and Corn.

"Leave us alone!" the Immortal ordered them. "We do not have your _'precious'_ statue anymore."

"Take it easy," Corn said to them. "We're not here to talk about that."

"Then what _are_ you here to talk about?" the Immortal asked him.

Corn wanted to avoid being direct about their plan to go after Gouji; he didn't think that the Immortals would respond well to it if he brought it up right away.

"How did the cops treat you when they arrested you?" Corn asked them.

The Immortal looked at him suspiciously. "What kind of question is that? Do you take me for a fool?"

"Of course not," Corn replied. "Look, we got our Goddess statue back so there should be no hard feelings between us, right?"

The Immortal rolled his eyes. "If you _must_ know, the police treated us the same as any of you other gangs; they would not stop calling us crazy and touching our bandages. Such disrespect from people who are supposed to be serving the citizens of Tokyo…"

"That sounds pretty rough," Beat remarked.

The Immortal glared at him. "As if _you_ care! Do not think that I have forgotten about our little feud. I lost my hat because of you!"

"Hey man, I was just trying to get our Goddess back!" Beat retorted.

Corn stepped in between the two of them. "Enough. We're not here to start another feud, we're here to propose a truce."

"Do you think that we are stupid?" the Immortal snapped back.

"Listen, we want to take down Gouji but we can't do it alone," Corn told them. "We've been going around asking the gangs for their help. You guys hate Gouji too, right?"

The Immortal looked shifty-eyed. "Perhaps we do."

"Then let's settle whatever disagreements we have and join forces to take him out," Corn said.

"We have no need for your help," the Immortal told him. "We have already planted a curse on Rokkaku Gouji that will take hold in a few days. He will come down with a terrible sickness that will eventually take his life."

Beat nearly burst into laughter, but he kept himself relatively contained. "Do you really think that'll work?" he asked the Immortal.

"There you go, disrespecting us again!" the Immortal bellowed. "I've heard enough from you!"

Corn gently pushed Beat backwards, signaling to him that he wasn't helping matters. Beat turned around and threw his hands up into the air, letting Corn deal with the Immortals on his own. He didn't need to come along after all.

"Maybe your curse thing will work," Corn said to the Immortal, feigning sympathy for their made-up magic, "but it never hurts to have a backup plan."

"And what is your so-called 'backup plan?'" the agitated Immortal asked him.

"Well, we haven't got one yet but we—"

" _Ha!_ " the Immortal loudly interrupted. "You insulted our plan when you yourselves do not even have one!"

"We're working on it," Corn assured him, "but for now we want to know if we can count on you guys to help us out when the time comes."

The Immortal mulled it over. "In the unlikely case that our curse proves ineffective, we may consider aiding you in whatever your plan is. Provided that it is not ridiculous, of course." His support seemed sincere.

"That's good enough for us," Corn replied. "We'll keep in touch until then."

The Immortal said nothing in response as he turned around to regroup with his gang. Beat and Corn took it as their cue to leave.

They skated out of Pharaoh Park, content with what they had accomplished, but Corn stopped just short of the overpass to stare at distant skyscrapers. Beat wondered what he was looking at.

"Do you think we should visit the Noise Tanks while we're here?" Corn asked him.

Beat groaned. "Man, I'm tired of doing this. I just wanna relax for the rest of the day. We can talk to them tomorrow."

"But we don't know if they'll still be around tomorrow," Corn said. "They might leave Tokyo again. Come on, it won't take long."

"Yeah, _right,_ " Beat replied sarcastically. "We don't even know where the hell they are! It could take us _hours_ to find them, and it's already dark out."

"Fine, you can go," Corn conceded, "but I'm gonna skate around and look for them. Tell the others I'll be back a bit later than usual." He figured that if the Immortals posed no danger to him, the Noise Tanks wouldn't, either.

Beat shrugged. "Suit yourself." As long as he got to relax, he didn't care what Corn did. He skated onto the overpass and made his way back to the Garage while Corn ventured deeper into the skyscraper district.

Corn hopped from rooftop to rooftop on his search for the Noise Tanks. The cool chill of the night made each jump a harrowing experience. With the knowledge of Garam's near-death incident on his mind, he took each leap with extreme caution. He had finally fully grasped the risk of navigating the skyscraper rooftops.

Corn wasn't sure of how he was going to convince the Noise Tanks to help them out. Everything about them was shrouded in mystery, from their looks to their behaviour. He hadn't forgotten that the Noise Tanks supposedly helped the Immortals steal the Goddess, either. He wanted to question them about it, but he worried that interrogating them would flare up unwanted tensions and dissuade them from teaming up with him. Getting them on his side was his number one priority.

Corn had travelled a long distance away from Pharaoh Park. By the time he finally spotted the Noise Tanks, the sun had already completely set over the horizon; he couldn't even see a hint of the sunset despite being at such a high altitude. He approached the Noise Tanks who were standing together on a flat rooftop, facing his direction as if they were expecting him.

"What do you want?" one of the Noise Tanks asked him in an artificial voice. Due to their hidden faces and manipulated voices, Corn couldn't get a read on their mood.

"I wanna ask you guys something," Corn said to them.

"We will not be answering any of your questions," the Noise Tank member replied decisively.

"Just hear me out, okay?" Corn implored them. "I've got something important to talk to you guys about."

The Noise Tanks began to surround him at all sides, slowly closing in on him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Corn asked them in a slightly panicked tone.

"It is _you_ who will be answering _our_ questions," the Noise Tank said sternly.

Suddenly, all three Noise Tanks grabbed Corn and held onto him tightly. Corn shouted at them as he struggled to shake free, but their grip was too strong. It felt as if he wasn't being grabbed by human hands but instead by mechanical tendons.

The Noise Tanks stared at him with their blank visors. "I advise you to be still; the drop would be quite long."

" _Wha—_ "

Clouds of smoke began to billow from the exhaust jets on their backs. Before Corn could realize what was happening, the Noise Tanks rose into the air with him still in their clutches. Corn's feet dangled with nothing below him, his legs being singed by the heat emanating from the Noise Tanks' jets; the Noise Tanks themselves were somehow unfazed by it.

Corn screamed as he and the Noise Tanks blasted off into the night sky.

* * *

It was past midnight and most of the GGs had gone to bed. Beat was in his room, lying awake on his bed while listening to music through his headphones. Beside his bed were his skates and a boombox that he had borrowed from Combo; he used the boombox to rip the contents of the CD that Kat had given him to his own portable music player. He was immersed in the music until he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he shouted, his headphones masking the true loudness of his voice.

The door opened and Gum came walking in. Beat paused his music and took off his headphones.

"How'd you know I was still awake?" he asked her.

"You always stay up way later than you should," she replied. She looked concerned about something.

"What's wrong?" Beat asked her.

She looked out Beat's window to the night sky. "Corn hasn't come back yet."

Beat sat up in his bed, kicking off his bed sheets. "Are you serious?" he said in shock.

Gum nodded. "He's never out this late. Something must have happened to him." She turned to face Beat. "Do you think we should go out and look for him?"

"It's too dark to send out a search party," he replied. "He's probably just out later than usual. I'm sure he'll come back when we're all asleep."

"You said he went to talk to the Noise Tanks," Gum reminded him. "It doesn't take _this_ long to find them, and even if it did he would have given up and come home a long time ago. What if they did something to him?"

"Why would they?" Beat said. "There's no bad blood between us. Trust me, Gum; I'm sure he's fine."

Gum walked towards Beat's bed. "I hope you're right." She noticed a CD lying on his bedside table.

"What's that?" she asked him, pointing to the CD.

Beat quickly jumped out of his bed and reached towards the CD, but Gum grabbed it before he could. The words 'Rapid Demos' were written on it in black marker.

"Did Rapid 99 give this to you?" she asked him.

Beat grabbed the CD out of her hands. "Yeah, I got it from their leader. It's got unfinished songs that their band was working on before they broke up." He placed the CD back on the table and sat back down on his bed.

"That was nice of her, I guess," Gum remarked. "Who uses CDs anymore though?" She turned around and began walking towards the door when Beat said something that stopped her in her tracks:

"We're dating."

Gum froze. She slowly turned back around and looked at Beat. "You and their leader? Since when?"

"I asked her out earlier today," he answered.

Gum walked back towards Beat, keeping her composure despite a mixture of emotions building up inside of her. "You were just supposed to ask her for help, not ask her to be your _girlfriend._ "

"I multitasked," Beat quipped.

Gum forced out an insincere chuckle. "So I _was_ right about you having a crush on her, huh?"

"Yeah," Beat admitted. "Hell, the things you said is what _convinced_ me to ask her out."

Gum cursed herself in her head. She sat down next to Beat on his bed. "So… what is it about her that you like so much?"

"I dunno," Beat struggled to explain. "She's just… cool to be around and stuff."

"So are all of the GGs," Gum replied. "Come on, there's gotta be _something_ that makes her stand out to you."

"I can't explain it, man; she just feels like the perfect girl for me," Beat answered. "We both love music, we both love the nightlife, and we both have similar personalities." A perverse smirk formed on his face. "Also, she's pretty hot."

Gum rolled her eyes. "Oh, was _that_ the deal breaker?"

"Is this an interrogation or something?" Beat asked her jokingly. "Why are you asking me all these questions?" He chuckled. "You looking for tips on how to get a boyfriend?"

Gum stood up from his bed, her face turning red. "No, of course not."

Beat placed his headphones and music player on his bedside table. "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. See ya tomorrow." He threw his bedcovers over him and laid his head down onto his pillow.

Gum glanced out the window one more time. "'Night. I'll turn the lights off." She walked over to the light switch and flicked it off before walking out the door, gently closing it behind her. Once she was gone, Beat put his headphones back on and continued listening to Rapid 99's demo tracks in the dark.

* * *

Corn woke up. He was being dragged by the Noise Tanks through a long hallway. He didn't know where he was; he had lost consciousness midflight due to the high altitude. He felt something missing from his person — his hat. It must have fallen off when the Noise Tanks were carrying him through the sky. His hopes that it was all just a dream quickly vanished. He was too weak to struggle, not that there was much use in doing so.

The Noise Tanks brought him into a large room and dropped him onto the floor. He landed on his knees and looked around at his surroundings. The walls of the room were painted a dark colour, and at the back end of the room was a window that spanned the entire wall. In front of the window were a desk and chair, with the chair facing away from Corn and towards the window. The Noise Tanks stepped back as the desk chair rotated and revealed the man sitting in it. Corn's eyes shot open.

" _Gouji…_ "

A menacing grin formed on Gouji's face. "Well, _you're_ here earlier than I intended. No matter though; this saves my Noise Tanks from having to fetch you for me later."

Corn was having trouble processing what was happening. "Th-The Noise Tanks work for _you?_ "

Gouji stood up from his chair. "They don't just work for me; they were _built_ by me! Or at least, I funded their development."

Corn was confused. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"They're _androids!_ " Gouji bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of his office. "I had them made to masquerade as regular Rudies so that I could keep a watchful eye on you _punks._ "

Gouji began walking towards the front of the room, each footstep reverberating in Corn's ears. "You see, you Rudies never posed a real problem to me… until _now._ I got word that you punks have been trying to orchestrate a revolt against me, and I just couldn't let that happen." He began pacing in a circle around Corn, making him even more nervous. "At first, I kept you and your street buddies busy by letting you fight each other. The Noise Tanks certainly helped to stir up some conflict."

The role that the Noise Tanks played suddenly became clear to Corn. They helped the Immortals steal the Goddess, but they also gave the Immortals' culpability away to the GGs. Their motive was unclear before, but Corn finally realized that it was to pit both gangs against each other.

"But that wasn't enough," Gouji continued. "Eventually you stopped fighting each other, so that's when I decided to use _fear_ against you all instead. I'm sure you've heard about what happened to the gang who call themselves 'the Hell Bikers.'" He cackled maniacally.

Corn was disgusted by Gouji's revelations. "Y-You nearly _killed_ them!"

"They were resisting arrest!" Gouji shouted back. "I only sent the Golden Rhinos after them to send a message to the rest of you punks, but even after nearly beating them to death _some_ of you didn't listen." He stopped in front of Corn, towering over his cowered body. "You GGs, to be precise. You tried talking the other gangs into coming after me, and that left me no choice. How do you deal with a snake that's constricting around your neck?" Gouji suddenly raised his voice:

" _You cut off its head!_ "

Corn crawled away from him, in shock.

"And that's exactly what I did by capturing you," Gouji explained. "Without a leader, your friends will be too scatterbrained to accomplish anything. And not only that, but they'll think that the _Noise Tanks_ were behind your disappearance which will only lead to more in-fighting among you street gangs."

"Y-you're _crazy!_ " Corn stammered. "They're still gonna come after you, and when I tell them everything you told me they'll only hate you even _more!_ "

Gouji laughed. "Did you think I was ever gonna set you _free?_ Sorry kid, but you're much too valuable for me to do that."

A knot formed in Corn's throat. "Wh-What are you gonna do to me then?"

"You'll find out soon enough." He motioned towards the Noise Tanks who were standing by the door. "Take him out of here. You know where to keep him."

The Noise Tanks whizzed into action and began approaching Corn. He quickly got to his feet and backed away from them until he heard the sound of Gouji clearing his throat right behind him. He froze and slowly turned his head towards Gouji who was pointing a large pocketknife directly at him.

"I suggest you go with them if you value your life," he said, his voice sending chills down Corn's spine.

The Noise Tanks grabbed a frozen Corn by his arms and began dragging him out of the room. While being dragged away, Corn mustered up the courage to shout back at Gouji one last time:

" _The people of Tokyo aren't gonna take your shit for much longer, Gouji! Your father's probably spinning in his grave because of what you've done to this city!_ "

The Noise Tanks hauled Corn out of the room, the doors to the office closing behind them. Gouji watched with a smirk on his face before returning to his desk. He closed his pocketknife and threw it into his desk drawer. The darkness of the night sky hung over him as he reclined in his chair. He rotated his chair to face the window and gazed at the Tokyo skyline.

"My father…" he muttered to himself, gripping the armrests of his chair. "If he loves my father so much, I could always arrange for him a one-way visit…"

 _ **~End of Act Two~**_


	22. Chapter 22 – Catch as Catch Can

_**~Act Three~**_

 **Chapter 22 – Catch as Catch Can**

Beat skated out of the hotel building early in the afternoon. He had stayed up late last night while listening to Rapid 99's demo tracks on his music player and ended up sleeping in. The rest of the GGs were gathered together in the courtyard, discussing something amongst each other. Beat wondered if Corn or Gum had told the others about his relationship with the leader of Rapid 99. He skated up to the group.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked them, noticing distressed looks on their faces. Gum looked the worst out of all of them; her eyes were red and her helmet was removed to reveal her messy hair.

"Corn still hasn't come back," she told him in a weary voice.

Beat was shocked. "A-Are you sure? Maybe he came and left again without anyone noticing."

"He didn't — I'm sure of it," she replied, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. "I stayed up all night waiting for him to come back. Something definitely happened to him."

Beat could tell that Gum was anxious and tired. It was obvious that she cared about Corn more than anyone else in the gang. He regretted not taking her concerns more seriously when she came into his room last night.

Boogie looked over at Beat. "Weren't you the last one to see him?" she asked him.

"Yeah, and I told you all last night that he went to talk to the Noise Tanks on his own," he reminded them.

"Then the Noise Tanks must have messed with him," Garam presumed. "Those sons of—"

"We don't know for sure if they had anything to do with it," Boogie interrupted.

Gum raised her voice at Boogie. "Well what the hell _else_ could have happened to him?"

Boogie took a step back from Gum. "Take it easy, Gum. I'm just saying that we don't know for sure."

"Yeah," Rhyth agreed, "maybe something happened to Corn _after_ he met up with the Noise Tanks."

Gum leaned her back against one of the large speakers and slowly slouched to the ground. "Oh man…" she whimpered, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. "What if the _Golden Rhinos_ got to him?" The thought of it made her physically ill.

Beat's eyes widened — the possibility hadn't crossed his mind until Gum mentioned it. "Oh, _crap._ Corn wouldn't stand a chance against them."

"No _shit,_ " Gum exclaimed tiredly. "What are we gonna do?"

Yoyo noticed Potts wandering aimlessly around the outside of the courtyard and got an idea. "Yo, what if we use Potts to sniff him out?", he chimed in.

The rest of the gang glared at him sharply, whereas Clutch was brash enough to slap him on the back of the head. "What kind of plan is _that,_ dumbass?" he scolded him. Yoyo rubbed his wound in silence, sensing everyone's severe disapproval.

Garam grew impatient. "We ain't got time to mess around here," he said. "The Noise Tanks are our best bet for finding Corn right now. Let's pay them a quick visit and if we don't get any answers from them, _then_ we can start worrying about the other possibilities."

Gum returned to her feet, ready to head out, but Beat was concerned about her wellbeing.

"Hey, maybe you should sit this one out," he said to her, gently putting his hand on her shoulder. "Just get yourself some rest while the rest of us take care of it."

"I'm fine," she assured him, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"You sure as hell don't _look_ fine," he told her.

"Well I _am,_ " she replied adamantly. She put her helmet on her head. "I wouldn't be able to get any sleep, anyway."

The rest of the GGs exchanged worried looks, but there was nothing they could do to change her mind — she was dead set on joining them. The gang left the Garage together and skated towards the Benten district with purpose.

* * *

The GGs arrived at the skyscraper district via the overpass where Beat had last seen Corn. They stood on the roof of a nearby building and assessed their surroundings. The overcast sky complemented their cloudy disposition, and the high altitude only added an extra layer of unease onto the group. Combo seemed particularly nervous as he looked over the ledge.

"What's wrong, Combo?" Clutch asked him mockingly. "Afraid of heights?"

Despite Combo's tough exterior, he _did_ have some phobias and a fear of heights was one of them. He carefully backed away from the ledge and looked at Clutch. "Hey man, we're seriously high up right now. Plus, we're gonna be jumping from roof to roof and shit. I think I have the right to be a bit… tense."

Garam playfully patted him on the back. "Dude, _I'm_ the one who should be freaking out right now, not you. I nearly _died_ here."

"You ain't helping, man," Combo told him.

Boogie looked around at the dense cityscape — there was an immeasurable number of buildings that they could explore. "We should split up," she astutely suggested.

"No way," Gum opposed. "We need to stick together. If the Noise Tanks are dangerous, we can't have them ganging up on us."

Soda groaned. "Man, finding them is gonna take forever."

"Tough shit," Gum replied in a sullen tone of voice. "We ain't leaving until we find them."

Soda gave her a look of contempt. "Geez, chill out," he muttered under his breath.

Gum caught what he said and snapped at him. " _Screw you,_ Soda. You never take _anything_ seriously around here. Our freaking _leader_ is missing and you _still_ don't give a damn! And for some of us, he's more than just a leader; he's a friend. He accepts us and gives us a home, so the least you could do is _care!_ "

Everyone was taken aback by her sudden outburst — Corn's disappearance was clearly taking a toll on her. Soda had nothing to say in response.

Yoyo looked out into the distance and spotted three figures standing on a distant rooftop. He pointed them out to the others.

" _Look! There they are!_ "

The rest of the GGs turned to look at what Yoyo was pointing towards. He was right; the distant figures were indeed the Noise Tanks. Their vision was blurry, but it looked as if the Noise Tanks were staring directly at them.

"Good," Gum replied. "Now Soda can stop his bitching. Let's go talk to them."

They began leaping across rooftops, with Combo and Rhyth at the back of the pack due to their hesitancies. Gum was leading the front, fueled by her need for an answer to Corn's whereabouts. They eventually reached the Noise Tanks and skated up to them as a group. Gum, unable to control herself, immediately shouted at them as she approached.

" _What the hell did you punks do to Corn?_ "

One of the Noise Tanks stepped forward. "We do not know what you are talking about," they said to her.

Gum didn't buy their ignorance. "You spoke with our leader last night, right?"

"Affirmative."

"Well, what happened after you guys talked?" she asked them.

"We do not have to answer to you," the Noise Tank responded.

Gum was getting annoyed by their question dodging. "Listen — he went missing sometime after talking to you guys and we want to know where he is. Just tell us what you know."

The Noise Tanks looked at each other and nodded before looking back at Gum. "Forget about your leader. You will not be seeing him again."

"Wh-What the hell are you talking about?" Gum stuttered.

The Noise Tank revealed Corn's fate in an emotionless voice: "We have your leader, and he will not be seeing the light of day for a long time."

Gum's heart sank. She clenched her fists as her body began to tremble, overcome with anger. With a passionate yell, she rushed towards the Noise Tank and punched them in the chest. The impact made a clanging noise and caused a minor dent in the Noise Tank's chest. Gum recoiled her hand in pain.

" _Agh! Shit!_ "

Combo stepped forward, pushing the rest of the GGs aside. "I'll take care of them."

The Noise Tanks stepped back from the GGs. Smoke began to billow from their backs as they backed off the ledge of the building, their exhaust jets kicking in just in time to keep them hovering over the edge. The GGs couldn't believe their eyes as the Noise Tanks taunted them from an unreachable distance.

"You GGs are foolish. How do you expect yourselves to defeat Rokkaku Gouji when you are not even capable of defeating _us?_ "

The Noise Tanks turned around and began to fly away. The GGs coughed from the clouds of smoke that they left in their wake.

" _Hey!_ " Gum shouted at them as they fled. " _Get back here!_ " Her pleas were fruitless as the Noise Tanks refused to slow down. She turned towards the rest of the GGs. "Come on, we have to chase after them!"

"Alright, but _now_ we should split up," Boogie said.

"But those guys look tough," Yoyo replied. "I think we should keep sticking together like Gum said."

"How about me and Garam split up as one group?" Combo suggested. "The two of us can probably take them on easily."

"That's what you guys said about Poison Jam," Rhyth mentioned, "and look how _that_ turned out."

"Poison Jam were a whole different beast," Garam replied. "The Noise Tanks are nothing compared to them."

Rhyth simply sighed and shook her head. Once again her worries were being ignored, but this time it was understandable due to the emergency circumstances.

"Are you sure your fear of heights won't slow you down?" Clutch teased Combo.

Combo glared at him. "I'll be fine."

"Well I'm pretty tough, too," Clutch stated. "Let me come with you guys."

"Whatever, just _go!_ " Gum said urgently. "Don't let them get away!"

Combo, Clutch, and Garam quickly set off to chase after the Noise Tanks. The rest of the GGs went in a different direction, hoping that at least one of the groups would be able to catch up to them. The gang only fell further and further behind though, as they were stuck leaping across rooftops whereas the Noise Tanks were able to fly in a straight line over the city buildings. However, the smoke trails they left behind made it easy for the GGs to keep chase.

Suddenly, Gum's group noticed the three Noise Tanks land on a building and switch back to their skates. The smoke they left behind slowly dissipated as they split up in different directions.

"It looks like they ran out of fuel," Rhyth remarked as they continued to follow them.

"But they're splitting up," Beat said. " _Shit,_ which one do we follow?"

"Just chase after the one that's closest," Gum shouted, pointing towards the Noise Tanks that was nearest to them.

The group made a change of course towards the closest Noise Tank, rushing towards them with increased resolve. With the Noise Tank no longer flying through the air, it was easier for the group to keep pace with them. By sheer luck, the rooftops adjacent to the group made a straight path towards the Noise Tank which helped them regain significant ground. Eventually, the Noise Tank reached a dead end. With nowhere else to go, they turned around only to see Gum's group approaching them. The Noise Tank began to slowly back away from them.

Beat skated to the front of the group and rushed towards the Noise Tank. Before he could tackle the Noise Tank though, clouds of smoke rose from behind them as they stepped off the ledge again. Beat quickly braked, falling backwards onto his back mere inches from the edge of the rooftop. The rest of the group cried out in panic as Beat hurriedly crawled away from the ledge. Rhyth clung to Yoyo for comfort as memories of Garam's near-death incident flashed through her head.

The Noise Tank hovered away from the roof again — they had remaining fuel after all. An artificial-sounding laugh emanated from the Noise Tank's helmet.

"You GGs should just give up," they said. "You stand no chance against us."

Gum skated forward and shouted at the Noise Tank with pure anger in her voice. "Come down and face us like a man and _then_ we'll see how much of a chance we've got!"

"That would be unwise, as you all outnumber me," the Noise Tank responded.

"You mean like how you guys outnumbered Corn when you kidnapped him?" Gum shouted back.

"Your leader was foolish to come up to us alone," the Noise Tank said. "He fell right into our trap."

Beat was still lying on the floor of the rooftop as he recalled the moment he last saw Corn in excruciating detail. If only he had gone with Corn to speak to the Noise Tanks, things could have been different. He refused to let himself become overcome with guilt — it wasn't what Corn would have wanted.

He returned to his feet and faced the Noise Tank from afar. "Why the hell did you do it?" he shouted at them.

"We have a use for your friend," the Noise Tank answered cryptically. "As for the rest of you GGs, you are all useless to us. We told you the fate of your friend out of courtesy, but now we no longer feel the need to amuse ourselves with you. Goodbye."

The Noise Tank flew straight up into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. Two other contrails could be seen adjoining in the clear sky — the Noise Tanks were reuniting in the air with no possible method of chasing after them.

Gum was losing hope, but she still refused to give up. "Come on!" she said to the others. "We have to keep chasing them!"

"We _can't,_ " Soda replied bluntly. "They flew straight up. There's no way we can catch up to them now."

Gum looked at the others and saw their distraught faces — they too knew that there was no hope in chasing after them. Still, Gum refused to give in.

"B-But we _have_ to!" she said desperately. "If they get away, Corn…"

Her voice trailed off as she looked back up into the sky to see that the trails of smoke had dissipated. She frantically scanned the sky for a single trace of the Noise Tanks, but none remained — they had gotten away.

Gum couldn't believe what was happening. Her closest friend was kidnapped and the perpetrators got away from them. Endless questions flew through her head: Why did they kidnap Corn? Where were they keeping him? Was he alright? What could they do to get him back? She didn't have any of the answers and it killed her inside. Her mind was a wreck and she reached a boiling point, no longer able to contain herself. She took off her helmet and threw it to the ground as she shouted into the sky:

" _Dammit!_ "

She fell to her knees — both from her feelings of hopelessness and from her tiredness — and looked down at the ground, hiding her face from the others as she was on the verge of tears.

 _Don't cry now, goddammit. Not in front of the others…_

She regained her composure and returned to her feet right as Combo, Clutch, and Garam reunited with the group.

"You saw them fly away too, right?" Garam asked them.

"Yeah," Beat replied. "And we almost caught one of them."

"Those guys are trickier than I expected," Clutch said. "We need to come up with a plan if we want to catch them."

"But whenever we get close to them they just fly away," Beat replied. "We'll need to come up with a plan to catch them."

"Well, it's too late now," Garam said. "Who knows where those guys flew off to."

"Yeah," Beat replied somberly. "I guess we should head back to the Garage."

" _What?_ " Gum exclaimed as she approached the others. "No way, it's still too early to give up!"

"There's nothing we can do now, Gum," Beat said to her. "We'll just have to try again tomorrow."

"B-But that's a whole other day!" she stuttered. "We can't leave Corn with them for that long!"

"I'm sure they're feeding him," Soda quipped.

Gum glared harshly at Soda. She skated up to him and slapped him across the face.

" _Ow!_ " he shouted. "What the hell's your problem?"

"My problem is that we don't know _how_ they're treating Corn!" Gum replied. "They could be _torturing_ him for all we know!"

"Don't say that stuff, Gum," Beat said. "We should be thankful that the Golden Rhinos didn't get him." He sighed solemnly. "Look, there's nothing we can do right now. It's better that we save our energy for another day when we'll have a better chance at catching them."

Gum desperately tried to think of something that they could do to save Corn. "What if... What if we called the cops on them?" she suggested.

Combo gave her a bewildered look. "The _cops?_ They aren't gonna do _shit_ for us!" he said frankly.

"You don't know that!" she countered.

Combo sighed. He put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Gum, you can't let what's happening cloud your good judgment. I mean, are you even listening to yourself right now? You're suggesting that we go to the _cops!_ The same people who've have it out for us from day _one!_ "

Gum knew that she wasn't thinking rationally at the moment, but she wasn't comfortable with giving up on Corn — even for just the day. "There's gotta be _something_ we can do," she pleaded weakly.

Beat picked up Gum's helmet and held it out to her. "The best thing you could do right now is get some sleep."

Gum looked at Beat through her tired eyelids. He was right — she had worked herself too hard and needed some much-deserved rest. Her eyes looked away as she grabbed her helmet and put it on her head without saying a word. The gang took her silence as a tacit agreement and began their return to the Garage. After a moment of slight hesitation, she followed closely behind them. Occasionally, the others would catch her gazing wistfully into the sky.


	23. Chapter 23 – Bad Blood

**Chapter 23 – Bad Blood**

The GGs returned to the Garage after being unsuccessful in catching the Noise Tanks. With low spirits, they gathered underneath the platform in the courtyard to discuss their next move.

"So, what are we gonna do _now?_ " Garam wondered. "It don't feel right, sittin' here doing nothing while Corn is locked up somewhere with the Noise Tanks."

Gum was still seething with anger. She paced back and forth with clenched fists. "I'm gonna bash their goddamn faces in if they don't let Corn go. _Nobody_ messes with the GGs and gets away with it! We'll do to them what we did to Poison Jam."

"I thought we weren't gonna get into gang fights anymore," Rhyth mentioned innocently.

Gum glared sharply at her. "Well what the hell _else_ are we gonna do? The Noise Tanks pushed us, so we gotta push back. Those punks would never cooperate with us, anyway."

"But—"

"What do _you_ think we should do, _huh?_ " Gum shouted at Rhyth. "Do you think we should just sit back while our leader's been _kidnapped?_ "

Rhyth was startled into silence.

"Exactly."

The atmosphere in the Garage had suddenly gotten very tense. Gum's assertiveness was putting the rest of the gang even further on edge. The only person who wasn't fazed by her brashness was Soda, who rarely let the attitudes of the others affect his disposition.

"How are we supposed to catch the Noise Tanks if they keep flying away though?" he asked her.

"They can't fly around forever," Gum replied. "We just have to keep better track of them next time. Hopefully they'll lead us straight to Corn."

"You don't get it," Soda said. "It's _impossible_ to keep track of them when they're way up into the sky."

"Your eyes probably just suck," Gum retorted. "Besides, we'd have been able to keep track of them earlier if the weather wasn't so cloudy; they practically blended into the sky. If tomorrow's forecast ends up being sunny, it'll be a lot easier to track them."

The rest of the gang pondered whether they would actually be able to catch the Noise Tanks. Their earlier failure didn't inspire much confidence, but perhaps Gum's theory was correct and they'd have a better shot tomorrow. Suddenly, Yoyo spoke up:

"Uhh, so who's gonna be our new leader?"

Gum turned her head towards him. "New leader? What the hell are you talking about?"

Yoyo scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, shouldn't we have a different leader while Corn's not here? Just for the meantime."

" _What_ meantime? We're getting Corn back _tomorrow,_ " Gum declared adamantly.

There was a momentary pause in the group before Boogie voiced her thoughts: "But… what if we _don't?_ "

Gum glared at her confusingly. "What? You guys can't function for a few days without a leader?" She scanned her eyes around at the other GGs and stopped on Beat. "Fine, whatever. Beat will be the interim leader while Corn is gone."

"Why me?" Beat asked her. "You and Corn were the original GGs. It makes sense for _you_ to be the leader."

"No thanks — you'd probably be a better leader than me," Gum replied.

Beat raised an eyebrow. "Do you have an aversion to being the leader or something?" he asked her.

"What? No, I just don't feel like being the leader," she answered.

"Well, Corn told me that when you two founded the gang, you _insisted_ that he be the leader," Beat mentioned.

"So what?" Gum responded. "I thought that he'd make a better leader, too." She crossed her arms. "Geez, why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"Because _I_ think _you'd_ make a better leader," Beat replied. He turned towards the others. "A show of hands, who agrees?"

The rest of the GGs reluctantly raised their hands, aside from Soda who was completely indifferent to the matter.

Gum stared angrily at Beat. "I don't _care_ what you think! How hard is it to understand that I don't wanna be the leader?" She turned towards the others. "Do any of you have a problem with that?"

They slowly lowered their hands and remained silent.

"Good," Gum responded. "Then it's settled — Beat is our temporary leader."

There was an awkward silence as Beat and the other GGs exchanged uneasy looks. Soda merely shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if this meeting is adjourned then I'm heading to my room." He skated away from the group and into the hotel building.

Rhyth skated up next to Yoyo and grabbed his arm. "Me and Yoyo are gonna head out, too."

"We are?"

Before he could get a reply, she began dragging him off towards the Kogane district. The remaining GGs in the Garage looked at each other with blank faces.

"Uhh, anyone up for a game of cards?" Clutch asked them.

"Sure," Boogie answered.

"Yeah, I'm game," Garam added.

"Count me in, too," Combo chimed in.

Beat and Gum silently looked away from each other. Clutch took their silence as a declination.

"Cool," he said. "I've got a deck of cards in my room. Let's go set things up."

The group skated off together, leaving Beat and Gum alone with each other in the middle of the courtyard. Beat turned back towards Gum and slowly approached her. She still seemed cross with him.

"What was _that_ all about?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"Why'd you get so upset about that leader stuff?" he clarified.

"I wasn't upset," she answered. "I just don't want to be the leader, but you wouldn't stop trying to pressure me into it."

"The only reason I didn't let up is because you _already_ act like our leader," he told her. "You and Corn are practically our co-leaders. I just don't understand why you're so afraid of having the title."

"I'm not afraid," Gum replied. "It's just…" She shook her head. "Whatever — it's not important."

Beat could sense that she was keeping her true thoughts pent-up. "What are you hiding?" he asked her.

"I'm not hiding anything!" she replied indignantly.

"Come on, Gum. If you trust me as your leader then you can trust me with your problems," Beat said.

"That's not how things work _at all,_ " she replied. "Besides, there's nothing to tell you. You keep making a big deal out of nothing."

" _You're_ the one whose making it a big deal by keeping it a secret," he said.

Gum was about to snap at Beat until they both spotted Rapid 99's leader skate into the Garage from the overpass.

"Hey Beat, what's up?" she said as she skated down the steps and into the courtyard towards Gum and him.

"Hey Kat," he greeted her with a quick kiss on the lips that made Gum wince.

"Your real name's Kat?" she asked her.

"Yeah," Kat replied. "Uh, did Beat tell you about…"

"Yeah, yeah, you guys are dating," Gum said in a slightly bitter tone of voice.

"Oh, good," Kat replied. "If he didn't tell you then that kiss would have probably been weird."

"What are you doing here?" Beat asked her.

"I just came to visit," she told him. "What? Am _I_ not allowed to visit _your_ hangout spot?"

"No, no, you're welcome here anytime," Beat said. "It's just that… right now is kind of a bad time." His tone of voice became solemn. "Corn was kidnapped by the Noise Tanks last night."

Kat's eyes widened. " _Shit,_ are you serious?"

"Yeah. We tried chasing after them not too long ago but they got away," Beat told her.

"I saw you guys heading towards the skyscraper district earlier," Kat mentioned. "So _that's_ what you guys were up to. Man, I'm sorry to hear about that." She gently brushed her hand down Beat's arm to comfort him, before turning her head towards Gum. "I've never trusted those Noise Tank punks. I hear they got jetpacks or something, too."

"Yeah, that's what made them so hard to catch," Beat said.

Just then, Boogie, Clutch, Combo, and Garam skated back into the courtyard with a deck of cards. They noticed Rapid 99 talking to Beat and Gum.

"Yo, what's _she_ doing here?" Clutch asked them.

Kat stared at Beat accusingly.

"Okay, I didn't tell _everyone,_ " he admitted.

Kat huffed. "If you're too much of a pussy then I'll tell them for you." She wrapped her arm around Beat's waist and looked towards the others. "Beat and I are seeing each other."

The others weren't too surprised. "Well it's about time you two hooked up," Garam said. "Beat never shuts up about you, so I knew it was only a matter of time." He and Clutch snickered, whereas Gum crossed her arms in resentment.

"Hey, maybe you could help us catch the Noise Tanks," Boogie proposed to Kat.

"Sure, of course I'll help," she replied.

"We don't need your help," Gum rudely said to her. She realized that her tone of voice was too harsh and attempted to mask her impoliteness. "I mean, you've already helped us out a lot. You're probably sick of it."

"Nah, I don't mind it," Kat replied. "Beat's my boyfriend, after all."

"Honestly, don't worry about it," Gum insisted. "We can deal with the Noise Tanks on our own."

Kat looked at Gum suspiciously — something about the way she was being spoken to rubbed her the wrong way.

"Hey Gum, you made _me_ the leader," Beat reminded her, "and _I_ say that it'd be great to have her tag along."

"Nah, forget about it, Beat," Kat said to him. "You can count me out this time."

"You sure?" he asked her. He shrugged his shoulders. "Do whatever you want, I guess."

Kat smiled. "How 'bout we go get some coffee together?"

"Sure," Beat replied. "That'll help get my mind off of what's been going on." He turned towards the others as they were setting up their card game. "We'll discuss a plan to catch the Noise Tanks later on. And you," he said while pointing at Gum, "need to get yourself some rest. And that's an order." He skated along with Kat up the overpass and towards the Benten district.

"I wonder if 'coffee' is a code word for something," Garam quipped with a snicker. Clutch and Combo laughed at his joke.

Gum grumbled to herself as she skated into the hotel building.

* * *

Rhyth and Yoyo were sitting next to each other on a bench just outside of an abandoned railway station that resided next to Rokkaku-dai Heights. Neither of them were in the mood to skate around; Corn's kidnapping had severely demoralized them. Yoyo's head was laid back on the backrest of the bench as he stared up at the grey sky, exhaling loudly. Rhyth was sitting up straight, her thumbs twiddling on her lap.

"So, why'd you drag me out here?" Yoyo asked her.

Rhyth kicked at the dirt below the bench. "I dunno, things were getting too tense back at the Garage. I just had to get out of there."

Yoyo sat up. "Yeah, I hear ya; Gum really flipped out on me."

"Well, you can't blame her," Rhyth replied. "I mean, Corn's been captured! This is the worst thing that's ever happened to us."

"I know," Yoyo sighed before his attitude became more confident. "But we'll get him back no matter what! Just like we did with Garam!"

Rhyth let out an uneasy murmur while looking down at the ground.

"Hey, I get that you hate fighting and stuff," Yoyo said, "but we—"

"I know," Rhyth cut him off while turning to face him. "Things are different now. I can't be a pacifist when a friend's life is in danger. If I'd known when Garam was kidnapped by Poison Jam, I would have agreed to fight then, too."

"Really?"

"Well…" Rhyth wavered. "I mean, _I_ wouldn't have fought Poison Jam but I'd have supported the rest of you guys fighting them."

Yoyo chuckled. "I wouldn't want to see you get hurt, anyway. It would kill to see someone I love get beat up."

Rhyth let out a short gasp of surprise.

"Oh, sorry," Yoyo winced. "Did I put the image of you getting beat up in your head?"

She smiled. "No, it's just… that's the first time you said you love me."

Yoyo gave her a confused grin. "Uh, doesn't the fact that I asked you out _imply_ that I love you?"

Rhyth blushed. "Yeah, but it's still nice to hear you say it."

"Well then, aren't you gonna say it to _me?_ " Yoyo asked her meekly.

Rhyth giggled. "I love you, Yoyo." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Yoyo turned away from Rhyth as his face reddened. "Yo, this stuff's so embarrassing."

"You'd better learn to deal with it," she said. "Going out with someone means that you have to be willing to do a bunch of embarrassing stuff with them."

Yoyo turned back towards her. "I guess, but I still gotta keep my cool," he replied.

"There's nothing cool about being embarrassed by your girlfriend," she told him with a playful shove. "Speaking of which, when are we finally gonna tell the others that we're dating?"

"Not now," Yoyo answered. "Especially not when everyone's worried about what happened to Corn."

"What's the big deal?" Rhyth asked him. "It's not like the announcement that we're going out is gonna overshadow Corn's disappearance."

"Well, why are _you_ so eager to tell the others, anyway?" Yoyo asked her.

"Because I want us to be able to act romantic around the others," Rhyth answered while cuddling closer to him. "And with everything that's been happening lately, I could sure use your constant comfort."

Yoyo put his arms around her. The thought of not having to sneak out to express their love tempted him, but he was still hesitant to tell the others that they were going out. He was scared of how the others would react, oblivious to the fact that Beat had just told the others that he was dating Rapid 99's leader. Yoyo couldn't tell Rhyth that he was scared though, so he had to come up with another way to keep her from telling the others.

"But don't you think it's cool that we're having a secret relationship behind everyone's backs?" he asked her cunningly.

Rhyth shifted around in his embrace. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Yoyo grinned as he slowly rested his head onto hers.

* * *

Later that night, Beat was in his room lying on his bed while listening to music through his headphones. When he returned to the Garage from his date with Kat earlier, he and the rest of the GGs devised a plan to catch the Noise Tanks. The only person absent from the meeting was Gum, who instead was in her room getting some sleep. None of them wanted to wake her up, both because she needed the rest and because they wanted to avoid any more of her emotional outbursts.

Beat heard a knock on his door and paused his music.

"Come in," he shouted while removing his headphones.

The door opened and Gum came walking in wearing a different set of clothes. Instead of her usual light beige dress, she was wearing a lime-green t-shirt and black pants.

" _That's_ a new outfit," Beat pointed out as she closed to door behind her and walked towards him.

"Yeah, I figured I'd wear something new for a change," she said. "You like it?"

"Yeah," Beat replied, "it looks cool." He peered closer at her shirt and noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. He became flustered and quickly changed the subject to get his mind off of it.

"So, did you sleep well?" he asked her as he sat up on his bed.

"Not really," she answered while sitting down next to him. "I couldn't stop thinking about Corn. What do you think the Noise Tanks want him for?"

"Beats me," Beat replied. "Maybe they want him to help them out with his smarts."

Gum lightly shoved Beat with her elbow. "Be serious," she said. "Corn isn't _that_ big of a genius, especially compared to the Noise Tanks who can apparently build their own damn jetpacks."

"Well then I don't know," Beat shrugged, "but whatever it is that they're planning, it won't matter because tomorrow we're gonna beat the crap out of them and save Corn."

"I hope so," Gum said softly, slouching over with her head in her hands.

Beat quietly stared at her in her miserable state. Corn's kidnapping was hard on her, and their petty argument about GGs leadership sure didn't help her condition.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said to her. "I don't know why I was pushing you so hard to be our interim leader. I was acting like an asshole, especially when I kept bringing up your past. I really need to stop doing that shit." He put his hand on her knee. "And besides, you were right — there was no point in assigning an interim leader since we're gonna get Corn back tomorrow anyway."

She sat up and looked at him, a weak smile forming on her face. "Thanks, Beat."

"And trust me; we _are_ gonna get Corn back tomorrow," he assured her. "It's getting pretty late now, so I'll run you through the plan in the morning."

"You came up with a plan?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I didn't want to wake you up since you looked tired as hell, but when I got back from hanging out with Kat the rest of us came up with a plan together."

"Oh," Gum interjected. She looked down at the ground as she shuffled her feet. "What were you and Kat up to?"

"Oh, nothing," Beat answered. "We just went to 99th Street to get some coffee and… we did some other stuff."

"Like what?" Gum probed.

"Just… some other stuff…" Beat replied apprehensively.

"Did you guys make out?" Gum asked him bluntly.

Her question caught him off guard. "Well… yeah… a bit…" he admitted.

Gum smirked and crossed her legs. "How far did you guys get?"

"Why are you asking me these personal questions?" Beat exclaimed, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"I thought you said that you didn't have any secrets to hide?" Gum said smugly.

"I don't, but it's still weird that you're asking me this kind of shit out of nowhere," Beat replied.

"Are you gonna tell me or not?" Gum asked him, getting to the point.

Beat sighed. " _Fine!_ Since _I_ don't have anything to hide, I'll tell you." He hesitated for a moment as Gum stared at him, waiting for an answer. "I… I got under her bra."

Gum struggled to contain her laughter. " _Pfft,_ is _that_ it?" she teased him. "I thought you guys actually _did it_ or something."

"Hey, we'll get there eventually," Beat said. "Kat ain't the type of girl who'll get in bed with _anyone._ "

"Yeah, right," Gum replied sarcastically. "I bet she slept with every stagehand she could get her hands on when she was still in a band."

Beat was fed up with Gum's mocking attitude. "Look, if you're gonna keep attacking my girlfriend then just leave," he told her.

"Fine." Gum stood up from his bed and walked towards the door. "See ya tomorrow." She left his room with a satisfied smirk on her face.


	24. Chapter 24 – Outsiders

**Chapter 24 – Outsiders**

 _Listen up, suckas! You're tuned in to Jet Set Radio, and I'm your host: DJ Professor K!_

 _We've got some major news today: the GGs' leader, Corn, was kidnapped by the Noise Tanks! Apparently he went over there to chat with them about forming a truce, but the Noise Tanks just picked him up and flew off! I guess those punks have jetpacks after all! But now the GGs are on the hunt for them, and they ain't gonna rest until they get their leader back!_

 _In other news, construction of the Rokkaku Expo Stadium has finally been completed. Gouji is scheduled to announce the date of the Expo in the coming days. I'm on the edge of my seat here, folks!_

 _That's all the news for today, but we're still gonna be playing some sweet tunes that soothe the soul. Check it…_

* * *

The GGs were standing on a rooftop in the middle of the skyscraper district, going over their plan one last time. It was early in the afternoon and the clear sky gave the GGs greater hope that they would be able to catch the Noise Tanks this time.

"Has everyone got the plan?" Beat asked the group.

They all nodded, including Gum. Curiously, she went back to wearing her regular light beige dress. Beat thought it was odd after she had shown him her different outfit last night, but he elected not to bring it up.

"Alright then, let's go."

The gang stuck together as they began hopping onto neighbouring rooftops on their search for the Noise Tanks. The clear weather helped them see at a greater distance, but the vastness of the Tokyo cityscape still left them with a lot of ground to cover. They were too focused on finding the Noise Tanks to worry about the riskiness of jumping the large gaps between buildings. At this point, leaping across rooftops became nearly second nature to them.

After some lengthy searching, one of them spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

"There they are!" Rhyth shouted, pointing towards a Noise Tank standing alone on a distant rooftop.

"Good," Beat replied. "Let's split up into the assigned groups."

Clutch, Combo, Garam, and Rhyth split off into their own group and leaped onto a different rooftop. The rest of them — Beat, Boogie, Gum, Soda, and Yoyo — went in the opposite direction, their plan being to surround the Noise Tank and flank them.

"Don't mess things up this time," Gum told them sternly.

"Don't worry," Beat reassured her, "we'll get them for sure."

Beat's group took an indirect path towards the Noise Tank in an attempt to keep themselves unnoticed. They hopped onto a rooftop adjacent to the Noise Tank's and hid behind a cluster of air conditioning units.

"Do you think Garam's group is in position yet?" Boogie asked the others in a hushed tone.

"I think we should wait a bit longer, just in case," Beat replied quietly.

Yoyo slowly peeked his head over the air conditioning unit to get a look at the Noise Tank. The Noise Tank was staring at the horizon before they sharply turned their head towards Yoyo. He quickly ducked his head down, but it was too late — they had been spotted. The Noise Tank began to skate away.

" _Goddamnit,_ Yoyo!" Gum shouted at him.

"I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized.

Beat wasn't going to let the Noise Tank get away that easily. "Screw it, let's chase him," he ordered spontaneously.

The group leapt out of their hiding place and gave pursuit. Strangely, the Noise Tank was keeping to the rooftops instead of taking off into the sky. This allowed the GGs to follow them closely.

"He's leading us into a trap," Soda said as they trailed the Noise Tank.

"What do you mean?" Gum asked him.

"I know these rooftops like the back of my hand," Soda explained. "He's skating towards a dead-end. If we follow him there, he's just gonna take off to the skies like yesterday and we'll have no way of catching him."

"So he's just messing with us right now?" Yoyo wondered.

"Seems like it," Soda replied.

"Do you know a path we could take where we could still flank him?" Beat asked him.

A tiny smirk formed on Soda's face. "Follow me."

Soda took off in a different direction and the rest of the group followed. He seemed to be leading them further away from the Noise Tank, but if what he said was true then they had no choice but to trust him. Sure enough, he somehow led them in front of the Noise Tank. The Noise Tank quickly braked as the group cut them off. Confused, they began skating in the opposite direction.

"Awesome, we got him!" Gum exclaimed. "Good job, Soda."

Soda's expression didn't change, but on the inside he was happy to contribute something positive to the gang for once. The group continued to chase after the Noise Tank.

Suddenly, Garam's group appeared on the other side of the Noise Tank. They rushed towards the Noise Tank, who was too preoccupied with Beat's group to notice that they were there until the last second. Just as the Noise Tank spotted the second group, Garam tackled them to the ground. The Noise Tank fell with a heavy thud and Combo scrambled on top of their body to hold them down.

" _Gotcha,_ punk!" Garam spat at the Noise Tank. "Did you really think you could get away with messing with us?"

"Let me go," the Noise Tank ordered in an emotionless voice.

"Fat chance," Combo replied with disdain.

Beat's group quickly caught up with the others and gathered around the restrained Noise Tank.

" _Yes!_ " Gum exclaimed with joy. "You guys caught him!"

"I _knew_ the plan would work," Beat said, nearly out of breath.

"This is not fair," the Noise Tank uttered. "You outnumbered me."

"I guess you could say that it was _'unwise'_ for you to be skating alone," Gum said with a smirk, mimicking what the Noise Tank said to them the day before.

"I merely miscalculated my escape route," the Noise Tank replied.

" _Shut up!_ " Combo shouted at them. "Just tell us where you're keeping Corn!"

"I refuse to tell you anything," the Noise Tank answered.

"If you don't talk, I'm gonna bash your freaking face in!" Combo threatened.

"The other members of my gang will soon be arriving here to deal with you," the Noise Tank said. "I suggest that you leave while you have the chance."

Combo finally snapped and punched the Noise Tank in the chest. The impact made a loud metallic noise and left a dent in the Noise Tank's chassis.

" _Agh…_ " Combo reacted in unexpected pain. "What the hell is that costume _made_ out of?"

"Let me go," the Noise Tank ordered once again.

Combo clenched his fists. " _Never!_ " He continued beating the Noise Tank in the chest. "I ain't gonna give up until you give us an answer!"

The Noise Tank remained silent as Combo repeatedly struck at their chest until sparks began to shoot out. Rhyth shouted at Combo to stop, but he ignored her. With one last blow, he punched through the Noise Tank's chassis, revealing its mechanical parts and cutting his right hand in the process. He stood up off of the Noise Tank as smoke began to billow from its chest.

" _What the hell?_ " Combo exclaimed at the Noise Tank's punctured framework.

"What _is_ that thing?" Garam shouted in shock.

Beat inspected the destroyed Noise Tank closely. "He's… a _robot?_ "

"No way," Soda muttered in disbelief.

" _Sweet!_ " Yoyo exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Gum shouted, staring down at the smoking Noise Tank. "How the hell were they _robots_ this entire time?"

"This is messed up," Combo said. He looked down and finally noticed his bleeding hand. " _Shit._ "

"Are you alright?" Rhyth asked him.

"Yeah, it's nothing," he replied, clutching it with his other hand.

"If they're robots, then who the hell _built_ them?" Yoyo asked the others.

"I dunno, but whoever it is must have Corn," Boogie speculated.

"How are we supposed to find out who built them?" Beat wondered.

Garam crouched down in front of the destroyed Noise Tank and began digging through its internal parts. He carefully examined the parts that he could scavenge from its open carcass. "These aren't off-the-shelf parts, guys," he told the others. "It couldn't have just been some random nobody who made them; it has to be someone _big._ Someone with a shitload of money."

"But what rich guy would build some high-tech robots just to let them out on the streets and pretend to be Rudies?" Clutch wondered.

Gum's eyes widened as the answer suddenly dawned on her.

" _Gouji._ "

* * *

The GGs were standing together in the Garage courtyard after having left the demolished Noise Tank alone on the rooftop. Combo skated out of the hotel building with a bandage wrapped around his bleeding hand and joined the others.

"Gouji, that piece of _shit,_ " Gum exclaimed in anger as she paced back and forth around the courtyard. "Now we _really_ need to take that asshole down."

"But we're not even a hundred percent sure that Gouji is the one behind the Noise Tanks," Rhyth said.

"It can't be anyone else," Gum replied. "That son of a bitch must have been using the Noise Tanks to spy on us, and once he found out that we were planning a revolt, he got them to kidnap Corn."

" _She's right._ "

The words came from Jazz who was overlooking the others from atop the overpass. She skated up to the group, but most of them didn't recognize her.

Gum identified her. "Hey, you're that Jazz girl, right? What do _you_ know about the Noise Tanks?"

"The Rokkaku Group built them to act as moles," Jazz explained, "infiltrating and causing in-fighting among us Rudies."

"That explains the whole conflict between them and the Immortals," Beat mentioned.

"It also explains why the Rokkaku Police didn't retrieve the Goddess statue themselves," Jazz continued. "They _wanted_ you and the Immortals to fight over it."

"Why didn't you tell us all of this shit _sooner?_ " Gum asked her.

"I only realized it earlier today," Jazz replied. "The Noise Tanks had disappeared for a couple days, but as soon as they were spotted again your leader just _happened_ to disappear. That was too big of a coincidence, so I did some investigating. I followed two of them around earlier today and caught them siphoning electricity from the Rokkaku Expo Stadium. Not only did that uncover that they're robots, but it also helped me connect the dots between them and Gouji. The stadium is monitored twenty-four-seven, so the only way they were able to get away with siphoning that electricity is if the Rokkaku Group _let_ them. Suddenly, all the pieces fit together —everything the Noise Tanks had ever done was for Gouji's benefit."

The GGs were surprised at the amount of information that Jazz was able to dig up. She proved more knowledgeable than they had thought.

"You could have kept us in the loop with all that stuff," Gum told her.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to compromise my investigation," Jazz replied. "I had a feeling that the Noise Tanks were keeping a close eye on you guys, and I didn't want to arouse any suspicion on myself."

"How _didn't_ you arouse any suspicion?" Beat asked her in disbelief. "You were the one who came up with the plan to revolt against Gouji in the first place! If the Noise Tanks were spying on Rudies, why weren't _you_ on their radar?"

Jazz shrugged. "I guess not being in a gang has its benefits. I was able to keep a low profile."

"Well, the revolt is still on," Beat said. "Gouji thinks he can scare us, but he's got another thing coming."

The rest of the gang cheered in agreement.

"Have you guys been working to recruit any of the other gangs?" Jazz asked them.

"We _were,_ " Beat answered, "until Corn got kidnapped."

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to him," Jazz said empathetically, "but by the end of this we'll rescue him _and_ take Gouji down."

"Well then, what's the plan?" Clutch asked her.

"Yeah, we've been waiting," Garam added. "What didja come up with?"

"Well, Gouji thrives on the illusion of peace," Jazz began, "so if we start a mass protest then he might be forced to step down."

The GGs looked at each other apprehensively.

"Would that really work?" Yoyo asked Jazz.

"It's our best bet," Jazz answered.

"But won't the Golden Rhinos just come and take us out?" Beat asked her.

"The Golden Rhinos only have it out for us Rudies," Jazz explained, "but if everyday people come together to riot then there's nothing they'd be able do to stop the protest. Mowing down crowds of innocent people would be a terrible PR move. If anything, this is the _safest_ method of taking Gouji down."

"How do the other gangs factor into this?" Boogie asked her.

"We'll get every gang to spread the protest in their respective districts," Jazz replied. "You and the Love Shockers can spread the word in Shibuya, then there's Rapid 99 and the Immortals in Benten, and finally Poison Jam in Kogane."

Beat looked at Jazz with unease. "We actually haven't talked to Poison Jam about the plan yet," he admitted to her. "I don't think they'll be open to collaborating with us after what happened before."

Jazz sighed. "Don't worry about it; I'll talk to them for you guys. I think I'll have a better shot at convincing them."

"Heh, good luck," Clutch quipped.

"We weren't able to convince the Love Shockers to help us out, either," Gum mentioned to Jazz.

"Yeah, but I think we can handle Shibuya on our own," Beat said.

"Shibuya is a big district," Jazz pointed out. "It'd be a huge help if you guys could get the Love Shockers on our side."

"They're not willing to negotiate with me," Gum told her. "Hell, I think they split-up. The Golden Rhinos really freaked them out."

"I guess recruiting them will require a different approach," Jazz supposed. "I'm sure you guys can figure it out."

"We've got _Corn_ to figure out, first," Gum responded sharply. "How are we gonna rescue him?"

"Gouji is probably keeping him in the Rokkaku Building," Jazz replied. "It's too dangerous for us to infiltrate it and free him ourselves. If our protest works and Gouji is booted, they'll hopefully free him on their own."

" _What?_ " Gum exclaimed. " _No!_ We can't wait that long! You've gotta come up with a plan to free him sooner than that, _please!_ "

Jazz could see the desperation in Gum's eyes. "Okay, I'll try to think of something."

Gum exhaled deeply. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Jazz nodded before turning towards the others. "Alright, let's not waste any time. I'm gonna go deal with Poison Jam, and you guys need to try to recruit the Love Shockers again." She was about to skate away when Rhyth stopped her.

" _Wait!_ " Rhyth cried out. "Before you go, I wanted to ask you something."

Jazz turned towards her. "You wanna know if I'll join your gang?" she guessed.

"Y-Yeah," Rhyth answered. "I mean, we're working together so you might as well stick with us, right?"

The other GGs agreed with Rhyth.

Jazz smiled. "I suppose I should honour a deal I made with your leader," she said. "You guys have always trusted me, so it's only fair that I trust you guys. Count me in as a member of the GGs."

True to her word, she wasted no time and immediately continued skating out of the Garage and towards the Benten district. The other GGs were glad to have her as a part of their group.

Beat looked over at Gum who appeared to be glum. He knew that she had no interest in talking to the Love Shockers again, so he decided to take on the challenge of trying to recruit them himself. He notified the others of his intentions before taking off towards the Shibuya district.

* * *

Gouji was sitting at his desk in his office, flipping through some papers. A bearded man wearing an orange officer uniform and green beret walked into his office. His beret was emblazoned with the Rokkaku logo and on his breast was a gold pin depicting a rhino. The officer stood in front of Gouji's desk with a grim look on his face.

"Sir, I've got bad news," the officer said to Gouji.

Gouji reclined in his seat. "What is it?"

"We received a distress signal from one of the Noise Tank androids," the officer told Gouji. "The last video footage we received from it before it went offline shows it being attacked by some Rudies."

Gouji scowled. "Have the Rudies traced the Noise Tanks back to us?"

"We're unsure, but it's a possibility," the officer replied.

Gouji grumbled as he sat up straight in his seat. "Suspend the rest of them indefinitely. They're of no use to us if the Rudies know that they're robots." He glared at the officer. "Bring that skater punk here. It's time to expedite things."

"Yes, sir."

The officer walked out of Gouji's office and down the hallway into an elevator. He pressed a button on the elevator's panel that took him to a nondescript floor of the Rokkaku Building. He walked out of the elevator and down a dimly lit hallway to a door with a keypad on the handle. After a few key presses, the door opened and revealed Corn lying on a stained prison bed in a tiny room. His skates had been confiscated and he was left with nothing but the clothes on his back. Across from his bed was a filthy-looking toilet, and a small plate of crackers lied in the middle of the floor.

"Get up," the officer ordered. "You're coming with me."

Corn looked up at the officer who was towering over him and noticed a gun holster on his belt. He knew that if he tried to escape he would get shot, so he had no choice but to comply. He stood up off the bed and walked towards the door. The officer immediately cuffed Corn's hands behind his back and dragged him out of the room. Corn gazed at the drab grey walls as he was led to the elevator. After a quick elevator ride and a short walk down a hallway, they were back at Gouji's office.

The officer pushed Corn down onto his knees — the same position he was in when he was last brought into Gouji's office. Gouji stood up from his desk and walked towards Corn. He knelt down in front of Corn and spoke directly into his face.

"What do you know about DJ Professor K?"

"Wh-What?" Corn stuttered confusingly.

"The host of Jet Set Radio," Gouji elaborated. "Don't play stupid; I know that all you Rudies listen to his little radio show. Tell me what you know about him."

"I don't know anything about him," Corn told Gouji.

" _Bullshit!_ " Gouji exclaimed, spit flying from his mouth and onto Corn's face.

"I-I'm serious!" Corn stammered. "I only listen to his show. I know nothing about the guy!"

"You've never seen him in person?" Gouji asked him.

"No," Corn answered.

"He's never contacted you or your gang personally?"

"No. At least, I don't think so."

Gouji stood back up and began pacing around Corn. "You know, I have methods of getting answers out of people. You don't want to test me."

"I swear, I'm not lying!" Corn pleaded, beads of swear running down his forehead.

Gouji was fed up with Corn's non-answers. " _Useless!_ " he exclaimed. "Absolutely useless! I guess we'll have to track him down ourselves." He glared at the officer who was standing in front of the door. "Escort him back to his room."

The officer began stepping towards Corn. "Would you like me to 'take care of him,' sir?" he asked Gouji.

Corn wasn't clueless — he knew that the officer was hinting at killing him. A knot formed in his throat.

"Not now," Gouji answered the officer. "We've got the expo to worry about. We'll deal with him after."

Corn breathed a sigh of relief as the officer escorted him out of Gouji's office. He was happy to be spared, but from here on out his days were numbered. Gouji could order for his execution at any moment, and that uncertainty frightened him more than anything. All he knew was that the clock was ticking, and his fate was set unless the rest of the GGs could somehow save him. He only hoped that they would act before it was too late.


	25. Chapter 25 – Contact

**Chapter 25 – Contact**

Jazz was skating down the damp passageways of the Tokyo Underground Sewage Facility. She had wrapped her scarf around her head to shield her hair from the dripping overhead pipes. Pools of water had collected on the floor, but she carefully navigated around them. There wasn't anything she could do to avoid getting her skates dirty though.

Jazz wasn't a fan of venturing into the sewage facility. If it wasn't the grime-covered walls that turned her off, it was the overpowering stench of sewage. Still, she endured it — there were more important things to be concerned about.

She spotted the three members of Poison Jam sitting in a corner with their backs against the wall. They appeared to have lost a bit of weight since she last saw them. Their masks were on the floor, leaving their pale faces exposed. They looked dejected with their heads facing down at the ground. Jazz slowly approached them.

One of them looked up after hearing the sound of her skates echo off of the walls. He grimaced as she stopped in front of them. " _Guh,_ get lost!"

"Relax," Jazz said. She noticed his red spiked shoulder piece. "I take it you're the leader?"

"I guess you could call me that," he answered bitterly. "Now what the hell are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you guys about something," she told him.

Poison Jam's leader grumbled. "This had better be important."

Jazz stared at Poison Jam's sickly complexion. "That sewage water you guys used to swim in really made you sick, huh?"

Poison Jam's leader scowled. " _Grr,_ so you came here just to mock us, oh? Well, _big mistake!_ " He and the rest of the gang rose to their feet.

Jazz put her hands up. "No, that's not why I'm here," she assured them. "I'm here to tell you _why_ it made you sick. Did you guys know that local factories have been dumping harmful chemicals into the sewers?"

Poison Jam's leader raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Jazz continued. "Doing that is against regulation, but Gouji makes backdoor deals with these companies to let them dump their toxic waste in exchange for money. That's why the fauna around here have been deforming in strange ways, like the famous Kogane salamander."

Poison Jam growled at each other before looking back at Jazz.

"Why are you telling us this?" their leader asked her.

"Because I need your help," she finally told them. "The other gangs and I are planning on starting a riot to try to kick Gouji out of office."

"A _riot?_ " Poison Jam's leader bellowed. "We can start a riot without your help, _ghahah!_ "

"But this riot needs to be _huge,_ " Jazz replied. "Otherwise, Gouji won't give a shit. Don't you guys want revenge?"

Poison Jam's leader chuckled maniacally. "Revenge, eh?" He reached down to pick his mask up off of the floor and put it back on his head.

" _We're in._ "

* * *

Beat scared off a flock of crows as he skated into an alleyway on Hikage Street. The shift from sunlight to shadows complemented the uneasy shift in his mood. From what he'd seen and heard of the Love Shockers, they weren't a pretty bunch to deal with. He personally felt that the GGs wouldn't need their help to spread the protest, but Jazz thought differently and she had already proven her wisdom to everyone. He trusted her.

Beat turned a corner and spotted the Love Shockers sitting cross-legged on a bench, chatting with each other. Just as Gum mentioned before, they were all wearing ordinary clothes save for their leader who was still wearing a pink scarf.

The Love Shockers pretended not to notice him until he skated right in front of them.

"Hey, can I ask you guys something?" he said to them.

They reluctantly acknowledged him, but only their leader cared to speak with him. "What do you want?" she asked him. "Don't tell me you're here to convince us to help you guys out with something."

"Actually, I am," Beat replied.

The Love Shockers rolled their eyes. "I already told Gum that we're not interested, so _beat it,_ " their leader said.

"Every other gang agreed to help us out," Beat told them. "Why don't you guys wanna help?"

"Because we don't want to get shot, _duh,_ " their leader replied sardonically.

"You're not _gonna_ get shot," Beat assured them. "We just need your help to start a huge protest in the Shibuya district. With so many people crowding the streets, there's _no way_ you guys will be targeted."

The Love Shockers uncrossed their legs. "Yeah, _right,_ " their leader replied sarcastically. "As if our pink hair won't stand out in a crowd."

"It won't _matter_ if you guys stick out," Beat said. "They're not gonna shoot down kids in front of hundreds of other people."

"Tasers, tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray," the Love Shockers' leader listed. " _Whatever_ they use, even if it doesn't kill us, we don't wanna be a victim of it."

"You'd rather be a victim of Gouji's endless oppression?" Beat asked them.

The leader of the Love Shockers hopelessly shook her head. "I don't _know_ what I want. Everything's so screwed up and there's nothing we can do about it."

"We _can_ do something," Beat told her. "If our protest works, Gouji will have no choice but to resign."

"You really think a _protest_ is gonna be what forces him out?" she asked him incredulously.

"I do," Beat answered with sincerity in his voice.

The Love Shockers mulled it over amongst themselves. Beat stared silently, waiting for a response.

They looked back at him. "I'll admit, you make a better case than Gum," their leader commented. She looked up and down at Beat's physique. "You're pretty cute, too."

Beat took a step back, a bit flustered by her remark. "Uh, thanks but I'm taken."

The leader smirked. "Oh, so Gum got you too, eh?"

"What? No," Beat replied, slightly bemused. "I'm going out with the leader of Rapid 99."

The Love Shockers oohed at each other.

"What?" Beat responded, confused by their reaction.

The Love Shockers all had smug grins on their faces and were looking towards Beat as if he were an idiot.

"Gum must be _pissed_ that you're taken," their leader quipped.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

She crossed her legs again. "If there's one thing I learned from being around Gum, it's that she _hates_ it when men leave her dating pool."

"You and I must be thinking of different people," Beat replied. "I dunno what Gum used to be like when she hung out with you ladies, but she ain't like that now."

"You're either completely oblivious," the leader of the Love Shockers began, "or Gum is doing a damn good job at hiding her _real_ feelings."

"Gum doesn't hide _that_ much about herself," Beat said. "She might keep some things a secret, but she never fakes how she acts."

The leader of the Love Shockers giggled. "There's so much you don't know."

"Oh yeah?" Beat challenged her. "Then tell me what _you_ know."

Beat was still a bit curious about Gum's past, and he saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally learn more about it. Luckily for him, the Love Shockers were more than happy to spill information about her sordid past.

"Where do I even _begin?_ " their leader pondered amusingly with her finger on her lip.

"Well, did Gum have shitty love life or something?" Beat asked her.

"Au contraire," the leader replied, "she _craves_ heartbreak. She manipulates men to get their attention, and then once they fall for her she breaks it off with them before moving on to the next sucker."

" _What?_ " Beat exclaimed in disbelief. "Gum is _nothing_ like that!"

The leader of the Love Shockers put her hands up. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Besides, we're not putting her down or anything. Who do you think she got that behaviour from?" She let out a self-satisfied smirk. "It's good to know that she never lost her roots with us."

"She completely _disowned_ you guys!" Beat shouted at her.

"Maybe," she replied, "but it ain't easy to change from your old ways."

"I talk to Gum everyday," Beat said. "I _know_ that she's changed. You guys rarely see her, what do _you_ know?"

"If you don't trust _us,_ then why don't you ask the _last_ guy she dated?" she suggested. "Oh wait, you can't; he's been _kidnapped._ "

Beat paused. _Kidnapped?_ he thought. _They don't mean…_

"Corn?" he asked her.

"Boy, you're slow to pick up on things," she mocked him. "And I can't _imagine_ why neither of them mentioned their relationship to you before."

Beat had gotten sick of hearing them talk, but he still needed them to confirm their support for the riot.

"Alright, I'm done," he said. "Just promise me that you'll help us with the riot and I'll leave you girls alone."

The leader of the Love Shockers ran her fingers through her ponytail. "Fine," she replied, "but it had better work."

"It will," Beat responded, and without another word he turned around and skated away from them.

* * *

Beat returned to the Garage. A majority of the GGs were out, but Gum and Soda were still there in the courtyard. He didn't dare to bring up what he learned from the Love Shockers.

He slowly skated up to Gum. She looked the same as she did when he had left; miserable and anxious. The Love Shockers' description of her just didn't match the person he knew.

"Hey, I got the Love Shockers to agree to help," he told her.

"Seriously?" Gum replied incredulously. "How the hell did you manage to persuade them?"

"All I had to do was not be _you,_ " he responded with a laugh.

"That sounds about right," Gum muttered under her breath.

Just then, Jazz skated into the Garage, still smelling faintly of sewage. She skated up to the two of them.

Gum stared at her scarf which was still tied around her head. "Are you going for a new look or something?" she asked her.

Jazz had forgotten about her scarf. "Oh, yeah," she said. She untied her scarf from her head and wrapped it back around her neck. "Anyway, I convinced Poison Jam to help us out."

"Awesome," Beat replied. "Now we've got all the active gangs on our side."

"We just need to decide when to stage the protest," Jazz said.

Soda approached the group. "Hey, what if we get DJ Professor K to announce the protest on Jet Set Radio?" he suggested. "That way, we can get everyone coordinated easier."

"I wish we could," Gum replied, "but we've got no way of contacting him to tell him about it."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Jazz said. "DJ K is always on top of things. I'm sure he'll figure out about it on his own."

"Let's hope so," Gum replied. "By the way, have you figured out a plan to save Corn yet?"

"Well, I've thought of _something,_ " Jazz responded with hesitation, "but it's really risky. I don't know if it'll work."

"I don't care, I'll try _anything,_ " Gum pleaded.

"Alright," Jazz began to explain. "Assuming that they're keeping him in the Rokkaku Building, we could infiltrate it while the riot is happening. If we're lucky, the Golden Rhinos will be busy monitoring the riot which will buy us some time to look for him. There could still be guards patrolling the building, but hopefully they won't be armed with guns."

Soda hated the idea of invading the den of the enemy. "That's _crazy,_ " he exclaimed. "They might capture _all_ of us."

Beat wasn't comfortable with the plan either, and even Jazz knew that it was crazy. Gum, on the other hand, wasn't fazed by it at all.

"It's a risk worth taking," she said. "We _have_ to rescue Corn, and as soon as possible."

Jazz couldn't believe that Gum was willing to go along with it. "Well, I guess we could start the riot in the coming days," she reckoned.

"No, it needs to be _tomorrow,_ " Gum said adamantly. "Corn can't wait that long."

"Tomorrow is too soon," Jazz replied. "We need to give the gangs a bit of time to get ready."

"We've already wasted so much time!" Gum exclaimed in desperation. "Corn is rotting in a _cell_ somewhere!"

"Gum, relax," Beat told her. "Corn will be alright. This is our only chance to save him and we can't afford to mess it up."

Gum sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she said calmly.

Seeing Gum's great concern for Corn only confused Beat. How could she have broken his heart, he wondered. It didn't make sense to him. _There's no way the Love Shockers were telling the truth,_ he thought to himself.

"Well, now that everything's settled, I'm gonna head out," he said to the others.

"Where are you off to?" Gum asked him.

"I'm meeting up with Kat," he replied.

"Who?" Jazz asked.

"The leader of Rapid 99," Beat clarified. "We're dating." He skated away from the group and up the overpass, towards 99th Street.

His answer surprised Jazz. "I didn't expect you guys to get _that_ friendly with the other gangs," she quipped to Gum and Soda.

Gum merely rolled her eyes and skated into the hotel building.

* * *

Beat was watching the sunset with Kat from atop Benten Tower. He had just finished explaining to her their plan to riot, but he left out their plan to infiltrate the Rokkaku Building. He knew that she would freak out if he told her about it, so he decided to keep it to himself for now.

"Well, I hope the plan works," she said. "At least _my_ part will be easy. Everyone here is still mad about the blackout so getting a riot started should be a snap."

Beat laughed. "True that. Oh, by the way, Poison Jam agreed to help us out, too."

"Even after the huge fight that went down?" Kat replied.

"Yeah, I dunno how Jazz managed to convince them," Beat said. "You don't mind teaming up with them for a bit, do you?"

"As long as those boys stick to Kogane, I don't give a shit," Kat responded.

"And what about the Immortals?" Beat asked her. "They'll be covering the Benten district with you guys, you know."

"Oh, _great,_ " Kat reacted with sarcasm. "And they smell just as bad as Poison Jam, too."

They both laughed before becoming silent, gazing at the cityscape. The sky was peaceful, and by the time the noises from the streets reached them they were only low hums.

"I don't think Gum likes me," Kat said suddenly, still staring off into the distance.

Beat turned his head towards her. "What? How come?"

"I just have a feeling," she replied. "She was kinda rude to me when I visited you guys yesterday, like she hated that I was there."

"She was just in a bad mood, that's all," Beat assured her. "We all just found out that Corn was kidnapped, and it hurt her the most."

Kat looked at Beat. "You think so?"

"I'm positive," he replied. "Don't worry about it."

Kat was relieved. She didn't want there to be any friction between their gangs.

Beat watched as she grabbed her hair ties and untied them, letting her hair down. She placed her hair ties on the ground and began running her hands through her long hair. Beat couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Damn, you look hot with your hair down like that," he told her.

"Thanks," she responded with a smile. "You look hot, period."

Her teasing only aroused him even more, and soon he could no longer resist himself. He slowly inched himself closer to her, his eyes never looking away from hers. He shifted the weight of his body onto hers as they gently lowered to the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close enough to feel his hot breath on her skin. As if on cue, they simultaneously leaned in to kiss one another.

With one arm still around Beat's neck, Kat used her free hand to grab his shirt and pull up on it. Beat pulled it the rest of the way off and continued to kiss her. The cool breeze felt nice on his bare chest, and his body tensed when Kat began running her hands across it.

Kat pushed Beat away for a moment. "Hold on," she said as she unzipped and removed her shirt, revealing her bra underneath. She pulled Beat back in and continued their passionate kissing, this time with her breasts rubbing up against his chest.

They continued making out as the sun set over the horizon.


	26. Chapter 26 – Relapse

**Chapter 26 – Relapse**

Beat returned to the Garage late in the night and quietly entered his room. The rest of the GGs seemed to be asleep and he didn't want to disturb them. He flicked the lights on and took off his skates. As he walked towards his bed, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above his bedside table; his shirt was wrinkled and his hair was untidy from his intimate meeting with Kat. He knew that he would wake up messy anyway so he decided to ignore his looks.

He placed his headphones, music player, and sunglasses on the table and walked back towards the door to turn the lights back off. Right as he was about to flick the light switch, he heard a light knock on his door. He opened the door to see Gum standing there in the hallway.

"Gum? What are you doing still up?" he asked her. "Were you waiting for me to come back?"

"N-No, I was up doing something when I heard you in the hallway," she replied. "Can I come in?"

"I was just about to go to bed. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to talk for a bit."

Beat sighed and let her into his room. He walked back towards his bed and sat down. It was then that he noticed her outfit. She was wearing a white button-up blouse and black tartan skirt, with white socks that almost reached up to her knees. What stuck out the most to Beat was the pretty little blue bow that she had clipped in her hair — it didn't seem her style at all.

Beat looked down at her chest and noticed that she once again wasn't wearing a bra, but this time he was able to see slightly through her blouse. He quickly looked away, but was too embarrassed to point it out to her.

"Wearing another new set of clothes, I see," he remarked with his eyes shifted downwards.

Gum looked down at her clothes, as if she had just noticed them for the first time. "Oh, yeah, I was trying on my old school uniform for fun."

" _Now?_ " Beat exclaimed. "Why the hell are you playing dress-up in the middle of the night?"

"I couldn't sleep and… I dunno, I just felt like it." She twirled in front of him. "So, how do I look?"

Beat refused to look back at her. "Did you only come here to get fashion advice?" he asked her.

"No, it's not that," she said before sitting down next to him. He could no longer see through her blouse from that angle so he safely looked towards her.

She continued. "I'm… I'm worried that infiltrating the Rokkaku Building will be more dangerous than we think."

Beat looked at her with bewilderment. "B-But you were the one who _wanted_ to do it! You even said so yourself that it's a risk worth taking."

"Yeah, but now I'm having second thoughts. I know that we have to do it to save Corn, but my mind is being haunted by scary what-ifs. Can you say something that'll help calm me down a bit?"

Beat looked at her sternly. "No, I can't, because the honest truth is that it _will_ be incredibly dangerous."

Gum lightly shoved him. "Don't _say_ that!"

"I _have_ to," he retorted, "because we can't afford to not take this seriously. We have to be realistic, and that means dealing with the scary fact that we'll be risking our lives. But we have to do it, because Corn is our leader and we can't let him down."

Gum looked down at her hands tucked in between her legs. "I know…"

He gently patted her on the back. "Alright, I'm really tired so if that's all you wanted to talk about then I'm gonna hit the sack."

Gum looked back at him. "What were you and Kat up to earlier?" she asked him.

Beat gave her an annoyed look. "Why do you care so much about what I do with my girlfriend?"

Gum ignored the question. "I wonder why that Cube chick left Rapid 99. Those girls must not be fun to be around."

"Cube already told us why she left their gang," Beat said. "And _she's_ the one with the problem since she went crawling to Poison Jam afterwards."

"Or maybe Poison Jam are actually cooler people than Rapid 99," Gum said with a smirk. "That's pretty sad, don'tcha think?"

Beat was fed up with Gum. "What the hell's your problem?" he exclaimed to her. "Why do you keep shitting on my girlfriend and her friends?"

Gum merely shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, I'm just calling things as I see them."

Beat was about to kick her out of his room when the truth suddenly dawned on him. Ever since he'd been dating Kat, Gum had been acting strangely around him. The unwarranted insults towards his girlfriend, the alluring clothes she modeled in front of him — she was trying to manipulate him the entire time.

He stared at her with a disgusted look on his face. "I can't believe the Love Shockers were right about you."

All of a sudden, Gum's smirk vanished and she became visibly panicked. "What? What did they say about me?"

Beat looked into her nervous eyes. "They said that you're a manipulative heartbreaker."

Gum looked offended. "I'm not manipulative!" she contended. "Those lying scumbags are just making shit up!"

Beat stood up from his bed and raised his voice at her. "You're trying to manipulate me _right now!_ You keep coming into my room wearing revealing clothing and making fun of my girlfriend. It's obvious that you've been trying to get my attention, but what makes it _sick_ is that you're doing it when I'm already taken. It's like you're trying to convince me to break up with Kat so that I can get with you. And for what? So that you can break my heart like you did with all the other guys you manipulated?"

Gum upper lip began to tremble. "I used to be like that," she tearfully admitted, "but I'm not that person anymore! _I swear!_ "

"Then why have you been acting this way?" Beat asked her.

Tears began to pour down her face and she finally broke down. " _I don't know!_ " She collapsed her head into her hands and began to sob.

Beat didn't know how to react; this was the weakest he had ever seen her. She seemed truly remorseful, but that didn't excuse her repulsive behaviour.

"I thought you were better than this, Gum," he said to her.

"I thought so too," she replied while trying to wipe the flood of tears from her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I just can't help myself. I did it to Corn, and now I'm doing it to _you._ "

"What the hell did you do to _Corn?_ " he asked her.

Gum finally regained control of herself and stopped crying, wiping away the last of her tears. "What happened between me and him was one of the biggest regrets of my life." She let out a deep sigh. "You said you wanted to know how we met, and now you're finally gonna get your wish."

Beat sat down next to her, intent to hear her finally tell the story of how she met Corn.

"We met last summer," she began. "At the time, I was still a student in an all-girls academy with the girls in the Love Shockers. I started hanging out with them because they were the only other girls there who shared my hate for the academy. They introduced me to the whole heartbreak thing — you know, flirting with cute guys and then rejecting them when they ask you out."

Beat nodded silently, knowing all too well what she was describing.

"Well," she continued, "I started doing it, too. At first I did it just to fit it, but after a while I really started getting into it. I don't know what it was, but whenever I'd crush some poor guy's heart I'd get this sensation of power inside of me. It felt good, so I kept doing it.

"But then I met Corn. He was a student at a different academy and we just happened to bump into each other while walking home one day. At first we were just casual friends and I had no intentions of ever playing with his heart. Over time, we got real close and I genuinely enjoyed spending time with him. We found that we had a lot in common, too: we both liked skating and hated authority. And then, that coming summer break, he told me about this secret hideout he knew about. That's when he first showed me the Garage, and after that we've always hung out here.

"But with that summer break coming to an end, it was almost time for us to head back to school. That meant less time for us to spend together. But one day he brought up the idea of running away from home, and without even thinking I said yes. That's when the Garage stopped being our hideout and started being our home, but we weren't even thinking of starting a street gang just yet.

"With no school or parents to worry about, we _really_ started getting close to each other. Then, one day, he suddenly asked me out."

"And you said no?" Beat interrupted.

Gum shook her head. "I said yes."

Beat was surprised by her response. "So you actually liked him back?"

"Yeah," she softly murmured as her eyes began to water again. "That was the first time I was actually in love with someone, but _of course_ I had to screw everything up."

"What did you do?" Beat asked her.

"I don't know what happened," she said, "but the sick thoughts that the Love Shockers implanted inside me suddenly came flooding back. I saw Corn as just another opportunity for heartbreak and ignored my actual feelings for him. So, after a month of dating, I dumped him. It gave me a quick thrill, but it didn't take long for me to regret it and become broken hearted myself."

" _Geez,_ " Beat reacted with incredulity. "How the hell are you and him still friends after that?"

Gum looked down at the ground. "You'll have to ask _him._ We both ran away from home and had nowhere else to go, so we kept living here together. None of us mentioned the breakup ever again, and we just kept hanging out as if we never even dated. I was happy with that since it meant that I could still be friends with him, but things were really awkward between us for a while."

 _So that's why Corn never brought it up,_ Beat thought. "How long after that did you guys start the GGs?" he asked Gum.

"A few weeks after," she answered. "I suggested the idea of starting a street gang to him and he liked it. A lot of Rudie gangs were popping up at that time and it seemed like the perfect thing for us. It also gave us something to do other than sitting around in the Garage all day. After a while, our friendship started to heal, too. Everything seemed to be going back to normal, but the pain in my heart never went away."

"Then why didn't you just ask him out again?" Beat asked her.

She looked back up at Beat. "How could I? I'm too scared that I'll do the same thing to him again. The whole reason I declined the leader position of the GGs was because I was afraid I'd abuse my power to manipulate him some more."

 _That must be why she refused to be the interim leader,_ Beat thought to himself.

"I _wish_ I could tell him my feelings," she admitted, "but I'll only take that chance _after_ I've proven to myself that I've truly changed, and that obviously hasn't happened yet. I mean, I just tried to manipulate _you._ "

"Yeah, but your relationship with Corn is different," Beat said. "You don't love me like you love him."

Gum looked away from Beat again, her face turning red.

Beat stared at her intently. "Y-You don't actually have a crush on me, do you?" he asked her nervously.

Gum remained silent.

Beat stood up from his bed and began pacing around the room. " _Dammit,_ Gum!" he exclaimed. "Do you just fall in love with every guy you meet?"

" _I don't!_ " she blurted out before looking back down to the ground. "It's just that… I needed _someone_ to give me attention, and when Corn wouldn't do it I latched on to you instead. All I did was act friendly towards you, but my real motives were to mess with you like I did with Corn." Tears began dripping down her face again. "I can't believe myself. I'm so… _fucked up._ "

Beat took a step towards her. "Gum…" he said in a soft voice.

"And then," she continued, "when Corn disappeared, I went _hard_ in trying to seduce you. I mean, look at this _ridiculous_ outfit I'm wearing just to get your attention, and I even went so far as to diss your girlfriend _to your face!_ People think of me as tough, but really I'm just _pathetic._ " She took the bow clip out of her hair and held it in her hands. "I hate how vulnerable I look right now."

Beat sat back down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "The Gum I've always known _is_ tough, and she's still within you. You don't need to use guys like me and Corn as emotional punching bags; you're a stronger woman than that. You just have to get it through your head that manipulating people isn't worth it. You've seen for yourself that it causes nothing but pain, both for those you care about and for yourself."

"I wish it were that easy, Beat," Gum replied. "I just don't know what to do."

"Gum, look at me."

Gum was hesitant for a moment before looking up at Beat. He had a stern look in his face.

"I'm gonna tell you what to do," he said while staring into her tearful eyes. "You need to get up, wipe those tears off your eyes, put some decent clothes on, and tell yourself that you're better than this. Tell yourself that the Gum everyone else sees is strong, independent, and true to herself. All you need to do is see it, too. _Screw_ the Love Shockers and everything that they taught you. If you look inside yourself — and past all that Love Shockers crap — you'll find the person who you always were. Not even those bitches could bury your true self. All you have to do is reclaim it."

Gum clenched the bow clip in her hands. "You're right," she said while wiping off her tears. "The Love Shockers aren't who I am. I'm better than them, and with everything that's been happening lately I need to be strong now more than ever." She smiled weakly. "Thanks, Beat. I'm sorry I burdened you with all of my emotional baggage, but I promise that I won't treat you as a cheap plaything ever again."

Beat smiled back at her. "I'm happy to hear that."

Gum moved in to hug Beat but he quickly pulled away from her.

"Uhh, I'd rather not hug you in… _those_ clothes," he said, pointing at her shirt.

Gum looked down at her clothes and noticed her see-through blouse. She frantically jumped out of Beat's bed and turned away from him, covering her chest with her arms. " _Oh my god!_ " she exclaimed, her face turning red with embarrassment. "I can't believe I was desperate enough to wear this thing without a bra! What was I thinking?"

"It's fine! I swear I didn't look!" Beat assured her despite getting a few good glances in.

Gum looked over her shoulder towards him. "It's a good thing you're faithful to Kat," she said, "otherwise who knows what would have happened here."

"I'd rather not think about it," Beat replied with a nervous chuckle.

Gum walked towards his door but stopped just before opening it. "Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow." She opened the door and left his room, closing the door behind her.

Beat sat alone on his bed, taking in everything that had just transpired. Despite learning that one of his close friends had been manipulating him, he was fairly calm and reassuring towards Gum. He had finally learned everything he wanted to know about her and Corn, but the one thing he wished he could forget about was still on his mind.

 _Man, I need to get the look of Gum's body out of my head._

His earlier meeting with Kat had perverted his mind. He reached for his headphones and music player and started listening to Rapid 99's demo tracks in an attempt to distract himself.


	27. Chapter 27 – Dead Air

**Chapter 27 – Dead Air**

Beat woke up the next day with his headphones' cable tangled around his neck — he had fallen asleep with them still on his head. He sat up and untangled the cable before placing his headphones on his bedside table. His alarm clock showed that it was just after noon. It was no surprise that he slept in after staying up so late the previous night. The events of that fateful night were still fresh in his mind. Would Gum really change her ways? He felt like he got through to her, but only time would tell.

He got out of bed and threw off his clothes as he hopped into the shower. Once he was done showering, he walked out of his bathroom with a towel around his waist and got dressed. He strapped on his skates and left his room. He looked down the hallway and froze when he saw Gum exit her room at that exact moment. She was similarly staggered when she spotted him, but eventually she began to approach him. She was back to wearing her usual clothes which was a good sign, but Beat still couldn't tell how last night's conversation ultimately affected her. They stared at each other for a moment before they continued side by side down the hallway.

"So, how've you been doing?" Beat asked her.

"A lot better, thanks to you," she answered.

Beat smiled earnestly. "That's good to hear," he replied.

Right as they were about to skate out of the building and into the Garage courtyard, Gum stopped Beat and pulled him to the side.

"Hey, could you not tell anyone about… you know?" she begged him.

Beat let out a crooked grin. "Let's just pretend it never happened."

Gum thanked him once more as they continued into the courtyard to meet with the others. They were all gathered on top of the raised platform, as usual when it came time to listen to the daily Jet Set Radio news report. Boogie and Garam were fiddling with the radio as it outputted nothing but static noise.

"Hey, what's going on?" Beat asked them as he and Gum skated up to the group.

Jazz turned towards them. "I think Jet Set Radio is off the air," she said, "because all we're getting is static. Every other station works fine, so it's definitely not a problem on our end."

"That's weird," Gum remarked. "It's supposed to be on the air twenty-four seven."

"Maybe they're having technical difficulties," Combo speculated.

"Or maybe Yoyo broke the radio," Clutch joked.

"Hey, I didn't tough anything!" Yoyo shouted. Rhyth giggled at his unnecessary outburst.

Suddenly, Cube skated into the Garage from the overpass. She appeared to be out of breath as she stood overlooking the GGs.

"Hey!" she called out to them to get their attention. "Do you guys have a TV?"

"Uh, yeah," Gum responded. "Why?"

Cube stepped down the overpass and into the courtyard. "Turn it on, quick," she ordered them. "Gouji is making a live announcement right now."

The GGs looked at each other before quickly gathering beneath the platform and in front of their wall-mounted television. Gum turned it on with the remote and flipped through the channels until Gouji appeared on the screen.

Gouji was standing behind a podium in front of a crowd of reporters. Camera flashes lit up his face as he spoke into a cluster of microphones.

"People of Tokyo," he proclaimed in his gravelly voice, "I am here to announce that the long-awaited Rokkaku Expo will be taking place tomorrow, starting at noon."

The GGs were taken aback by his proclamation.

"I know that this announcement is a bit sudden," Gouji continued, "but we simply couldn't wait until a later date to host the event. To compensate for this abruptness, I hereby declare tomorrow a city-wide holiday to ensure that the majority of citizens will be able to get a live glimpse of the future of Tokyo. To those of you who are unable to attend the expo in person, live coverage will be shown on the Rokkaku Broadcasting Channel. That is all I have to announce at this moment. Thank you for your time."

Gouji walked away from the podium as reporters swarmed him to ask questions. The GGs stared at the television screen with shocked expressions.

" _Shit!_ " Gum exclaimed. "Why is it so soon?"

"They've gotta be rushing it for a reason," Boogie surmised.

An idea sparked in Jazz's head and she stood in front of the TV, blocking it from view. "This is our chance!" she told the others. "We should stage the protest tomorrow to disrupt the expo. With everyone free from work and school, we could get a _huge_ protest crowd going."

"This is the first I'm hearing of a protest," Cube interjected. "What are you guys going on about?"

"We're gonna stage a mass protest against Gouji in the hopes that it'll force him to resign," Jazz quickly explained to her. "Most of the other Rudie gangs are in on it, too."

Cube smirked. "And you guys didn't even think to tell _moi?_ Count me in."

"All of this is in such short notice," Beat said. "If we're gonna go through with it tomorrow, we'd have to notify the other gangs right away."

" _You're_ our current leader," Soda reminded him. " _You_ decide if we should go through with it or not."

Jazz turned to face Beat. "This could be our only chance," she told him. "We don't know what's gonna be announced at the expo."

"Yeah, you're right," he replied. "Let's go tell the other gangs."

"Hold on," Gum interrupted. "Shouldn't we wait for Jet Set Radio to come back on the air? DJ Professor K might tell us something that we should know."

"You guys didn't hear?" Cube asked them. "Gouji got to DJ K."

The GGs gasped in shock. Only Soda was indifferent to the bad news.

" _What? How?_ " Jazz asked Cube.

"I don't know how they found him," Cube told them, "but I saw some Golden Rhino goons drag him into the Rokkaku Building earlier this morning."

"Damn," Jazz exclaimed in frustration. "We thought that Gouji was only cracking down on Rudies, but now it seems like he's cracking down on _anyone_ who's spreading political dissent."

"What if he knows about the protest?" Rhyth nervously contemplated. "What if he's planning on coming after us _right now?_ "

"Calm down, Rhyth," Beat told her. "There's no use in worrying about stuff like that. If Gouji wanted to take us down, he would have already done so by now."

"Does Gouji even know about the Garage?" Boogie wondered. "Maybe he'd been leaving us alone because he didn't know where our hideout was, but if he managed to find DJ K's station then surely he'd be able to find—"

" _Enough!_ " Beat interrupted her. "Listen, if Gouji _did_ find the Garage then… then we're screwed no matter what."

The rest of the GGs were unsettled by Beat's words. Rhyth leaned into Yoyo for comfort, but he subtly pushed her away to avoid arousing suspicion about their close relationship.

"I know, it's scary," Beat continued, "but all we can do is continue with our plan and hope that nothing bad happens to us."

The gang stood silent for a moment, looking at each other with uneasy faces. Cube, who still had yet to join another gang, wasn't worried about being targeted by Gouji.

"Beat's right," Jazz finally spoke. "Let's just go talk to the other gangs and tell them that the protest is tomorrow."

"And what's _my_ job?" Cube asked her.

"Well, when the protest starts you can help spread it around Kogane with Poison Jam," Jazz suggested to her.

"No thanks," Cube replied with revulsion. "I'd rather not be paired with those freaks again. I'll help out around Benten since that's a big district."

"You don't mind hanging around Rapid 99?" Beat asked her.

"I don't like them, but they're sure as hell better than Poison Jam," Cube answered.

Rhyth approached Cube. "Hey, would you like to join the GGs?" she asked her.

Cube glared at the rest of the GGs. "Are you guys running a recruitment agency or something? Just because I'm helping you guys out doesn't mean I want to join your stupid gang. Now stop asking me."

Rhyth timidly backed away from Cube. Cube felt a bit of remorse for reacting so harshly to the innocent request, but she quickly regained her callous disposition.

"I'll see you guys when it's all over then," she said before skating out of the courtyard and back up the overpass. The rest of the GGs watched her as she left the Garage.

"Well, at least we got her help," Jazz commented. "Anyway, now we need to decide who's going to notify the other gangs. I'm guessing nobody else wants to talk to Poison Jam, so I'll do that."

"I'll tell Rapid 99," Beat chimed in.

Clutch shrugged. "I guess I'll be the one to talk to the Immortals, because why the hell not?"

"So all that's left are the Love Shockers," Beat pointed out. "Who wants to send _them_ the message?" He scanned his eyes across the other GGs, hoping that someone would volunteer. The person who he least expected to spoke up.

"I'll do it," Gum answered, raising her hand.

Beat turned his head towards her in surprise. He stared at her with a look of uncertainty.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"I'm positive," she replied with a faint smile. "Trust me."

Gum had a look of confidence about her that Beat hadn't seen since Corn's kidnapping. Perhaps she _had_ overcome her manipulative tendencies. A confrontation with the girls who corrupted her in the first place would be the perfect test.

Beat nodded silently in approval.

* * *

Gum skated down the familiar Shibuya streets that led towards Hikage Street. The sidewalks were filled with rushing commuters, many of whom having listened to Gouji's announcement as well. As she skated past a large crowd, she overheard a few people talking about it.

" _Did you listen to Rokkaku's press conference earlier?"_

" _I can't believe the expo's tomorrow. Who announces something like that out of nowhere?"_

" _He can't just force a random holiday onto us. My boss is gonna freak out!"_

" _Who even cares about the expo? I've lost all hope of the Rokkaku Government turning this city around."_

Although anecdotal, it was more proof that the majority of Tokyo citizens were disgruntled by Gouji's government. Perhaps getting them motivated to protest would be easier than the GGs anticipated, Gum thought.

From across the street, three shadowy figures watched her skate into a dark alleyway. They crossed the street and peeked into the alleyway. Once Gum had made it some distance into the alleyway, they quietly followed behind her.

At the other end of the alleyway, Gum found the Love Shockers standing around an abandoned construction lot. They groaned when they spotted her.

"I thought we told you not to come back here," their leader shouted to Gum as she skated towards them.

Gum stopped in front of them. They were still wearing plain clothes, but it didn't matter to her whether they identified as Rudies or not. As long as they helped spread the protest around Shibuya, they could wear whatever they wanted.

"What do you want?" their leader asked Gum apathetically. "We already told your wannabe boyfriend that we'll help out with the protest."

Gum ignored her cheap quip. "The protest is gonna be tomorrow," she told them. "Before the expo starts, so be ready."

The Love Shockers looked at each other and shrugged before looking back at Gum.

"Sounds good to us," their leader replied. "We'll see you there."

"No, you probably won't," Gum mentioned. "Me and the rest of the GGs are gonna be infiltrating the Rokkaku Building during the protest."

The Love Shockers looked stunned, their mouths slightly agape.

"Are you _crazy?_ " their leader exclaimed. "If rioting in the streets won't set the Golden Rhinos after you, then raiding their home base sure as hell will!"

Gum looked stoically into their eyes and spoke calmly. "We found out that the Noise Tanks were built by the Rokkaku Group. They have Corn."

The revelation surprised the Love Shockers. The gravity of the situation suddenly hit them, but they continued their childish banter.

"So, you're gonna risk your _life_ for him?" their leader asked Gum. "How desperate are you for his attention?"

Gum didn't let their taunting upset her. She merely continued to glare into their eyes while uttering the main reason she was willing to risk her life to save Corn:

"I love him, okay? You guys wouldn't understand what love even is."

The Love Shockers oohed at Gum's weak comeback.

"Oh, _now_ I get it," their leader teased. "So _Corn's_ your wannabe boyfriend. Well if you love him so much, why'd you dump him?"

Gum looked away from the Love Shockers. "Like you guys don't know," she muttered.

The leader of the Love Shockers moved her face closer to Gum's. " _Ha!_ " she exclaimed while pointing her finger. "So you finally admit that you haven't changed since you ditched us."

Gum looked back towards them as she finally grasped the real reason they always tormented her. "Don't tell me you still have hard feelings about me ditching you guys to hang with Corn."

The leader of the Love Shockers realized her slip up. She crossed her arms and stubbornly turned her face away from Gum. "Of _course_ not! Why would we?"

Gum let it go, knowing that the Love Shockers were too proud to admit the truth. "Well, I _have_ changed since I left you guys," she said. "Corn will see for himself once me and the others save him."

"That's _if_ you guys save him," the leader of the Love Shockers added. "Raiding the Rokkaku Building is a suicide mission! Is the rest of your gang happy to risk their lives just to save your stupid crush?"

"The GGs aren't just a gang," Gum told them. "We're a family. Sure, we might not all be much alike, but there's one thing that we all have in common: each other."

The leader of the Love Shockers groaned. "What a load of bullshit. You guys will recruit anyone you find on the side of the street. What kind of family is _that?_ "

"Just because we let anyone join us doesn't mean we aren't a tight-knit group," Gum replied. "We've been through a lot together, so it's only natural that we'd all be so close to each other. That's why we're all going into the Rokkaku Building: because we're a family and a family sticks together."

"So you're telling us that you fell in love with a family member?" the leader of the Love Shockers joked. "That's sick, even for you."

Gum rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I've had enough of you guys," she said. "Just be ready for tomorrow."

Gum turned around and began to skate away from the Love Shockers, but as she was about to re-enter the alleyway their leader shouted something at her:

"You know, we're not _completely_ heartless."

Gum stopped in her tracks and turned her head back towards the Love Shockers. Their leader was looking sternly at her.

"Be careful," they added.

Gum nodded. "I will."

Gum continued skating out of the construction lot with a half-smirk on her face. The leader of the Love Shockers watched her until she was out of sight before turning towards her two friends.

"So, what do you think we should wear to the protest?" she asked them.

Gum skated down the long alleyway that would lead her back to the busy main streets. Right as she was about to reach the other end, three figures popped out from around the corner and cut her off. She jumped back in surprise before realizing that the three figures were the Hell Bikers.

" _You_ guys?" she said in disbelief. "How'd you get out of the hospital?"

Even with their helmets on and their visors flipped down to obscure most of their faces, the heads of the Hell Bikers still looked visibly bruised and disfigured. No respectable hospital would have released them in such bad condition.

"Yeah, they let us out early after doing a shitty job of trying to fix us up," one of them said in a raspy voice — clearly a product of the beating they received from the Golden Rhinos. "They fused our helmets to our skulls, so now we've got these things stuck to us forever." He imitated an attempt to pull of his helmet to no avail.

"Lousy third-grade doctors," another member muttered under his breath.

"You're not here to harass me some more, are you?" Gum asked them warily. "'Cause I don't have time for that crap. I'm a busy girl."

The Hell Bikers chuckled amongst each other.

"We've got our own worries too, missy," one of them responded. "I take it you've noticed our new skates."

Gum looked down at their feet and noticed that all three of them were wearing skates. Indeed, their motorcycles were nowhere to be seen. That was a first for them.

"Rokkaku's boys took away our motorcycles," he told her, "so we've gotta use these skates to get around. I guess it's for the best — one more bike accident and we'd probably be dead. And at least now you punks can't say that we aren't Rudies too."

"Get to the point," Gum said impatiently.

"Alright, alright," he chuckled. "We overheard you talking to those other girls about some protest tomorrow," he told her. "Well, we want in."

"You can't be serious," Gum snickered. "It's probably best that you guys stay home. You might break your hips or something."

"Hey, we're in just as good a shape as you!" he retorted. "And you ain't the only ones who want to teach Gouji and his boys a lesson."

Gum shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm not gonna deny the help. I guess I'll let the others know that the Hell Bikers are in on the plan."

"Hey, that name won't do anymore," one of them realized. "We can't call ourselves the Hell Bikers when we ain't riding bikes no more. We oughta come up with a new name."

The three men huddled together and whispered words to each other. Once they were done discussing matters in private, they spread out again and shared their conclusion with Gum.

"From now on, call us the Doom Riders."


	28. Chapter 28 – Calm Before the Storm

**Chapter 28 – Calm Before the Storm  
**

Later in the day, while the sun was still high in the sky, Boogie and Garam went out to eat at a nearby burger place in Shibuya. After ordering their food inside the restaurant, they carried it outside to eat on the sidewalk patio.

"What didja get?" Garam asked Boogie as he placed his meal on the patio table and pulled out a chair.

Boogie sat down and unwrapped her burger. "I dunno what they gave me," she answered. "I just asked for the spiciest thing on the menu."

She opened up her burger to show him the ingredients, which included hot sauce and peppers.

"Damn, I didn't know you were into that stuff," Garam said, looking at his regular cheeseburger. "My burger makes me feel like a wimp in comparison."

Boogie shrugged. "It's just food. You need to stop trying to look cool all the time. Not everything you do is a reflection of your character, you know."

"Yeah, whatever."

They both took large bites out of their burgers before washing them down with their drinks.

"Did Gum tell you about the Hell Bikers?" Garam asked Boogie while grabbing a handful of fries to shove into his mouth. "I can't believe those old geezers are in fit enough shape to skate!"

"Yeah, especially after the Golden Rhinos sent them to the hospital," Boogie replied before taking a sip of her drink with the straw. "Maybe _they're_ robots, too."

"Hah, maybe," Garam said with a mouthful of fries. He swallowed them before continuing. "I guess I shouldn't have underestimated them."

They continued eating their meals while watching the passing traffic. It seemed like any other day to them, with tomorrow's protest nothing but a distant worry. They were less worried than most of the other GGs, perhaps because they were older or perhaps because staying calm until the last second was in their nature.

Boogie threw a single fry into her mouth. "Hey, did you hear the yelling coming from Beat's room last night?" she asked Garam while chewing.

"Nah, I passed out pretty early," he answered. "Was something going on?"

"Beat and Gum were arguing about something," Boogie replied. "I couldn't really hear what they were saying from my room though."

Garam chuckled. "Those two just need to make out already."

"Dude, Beat's dating the leader of Rapid 99," Boogie reminded him.

"She don't need to find out," Garam said with a smirk.

"You're a punk, you know that?" Boogie chided him.

"I was just kidding!" he assured her.

Boogie simply shook her head. "Man, if _my_ man ever cheated on me, I'd beat the crap out of him."

"Geez, remind me not to mess with you," Garam quipped.

Boogie giggled. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

Garam cocked his head to one side, as if he were deliberating on a past memory. "I had one a few years ago," he answered.

"Why didn't it work out?" Boogie asked him.

Garam shrugged. "She wasn't really my type. We didn't have much in common and after a while I kinda got bored of hangin' out with her. I knew it wasn't gonna work out, so I broke it off."

"Well, good on you," Boogie said. "You shouldn't stay with someone if you don't even like being _around_ them."

"Yeah, but I enjoyed _lookin'_ at them, if you know what I mean," Garam replied with a cheeky grin as he shoved another handful of fries into his mouth.

Boogie rolled her eyes. "Man, you're so shallow. I wouldn't settle for someone just because of their looks. I'm actually pretty strict when it comes to potential boyfriends." She tapped the table with her fingernails. "Although, maybe that's working against me since I've never actually had a boyfriend before."

Garam raised his eyebrows. " _How_ old are you?" he asked her with his mouth still full of fries.

"Twenty-one."

"You're _twenty-one_ and you've never had a boyfriend?" Garam blurted out.

"I know," Boogie reacted with embarrassment, "but I'm just waiting for the right one."

"It's not like you're gonna be stuck with the first dude you date," Garam remarked.

Boogie threw another fry into her mouth. "Yeah, but I don't wanna waste my time with men who I don't think it'll work out with."

"It's not a waste of time to date someone only to break up with them," Garam replied. "You learn a lot about yourself and what you're looking for. And even though it doesn't work out in the end, you still enjoy the times when it _was_ working out, you know?"

Boogie stared down at her drink as she played with the plastic cup it came in. "Yeah, I see what you're saying."

She picked up her drink and began loudly slurping on the straw while Garam continued to eat his meal. By the time he swallowed the last bite of his burger, she had nearly finished her entire drink. Her burger remained half-eaten, untouched since their conversation started.

"That burger too hot for ya?" he quipped.

"'Course not," she replied as she put down her drink. "I'm just taking my time with it."

"But you pretty much finished your whole drink with half of your burger left!" Garam pointed out. "How are you gonna finish off something that spicy without anything to drink?"

"It's fine," Boogie replied. "I like spicy stuff."

Garam grinned. "Oh yeah? I bet you can't finish it in under a minute," he challenged her.

Boogie gazed at Garam with a sly grin on her face. Without saying a word, she picked up her burger and began devouring it in multiple quick bites, barely giving herself enough time to chew. Sure enough, she finished the remainder of the burger in less than a minute. She wiped her mouth with her napkin while Garam stared with his mouth half-agape.

" _Damn,_ girl!" he exclaimed, impressed by her feat. "You got an iron stomach or something?"

She sipped the remainder of her drink before letting out a short burp that felt hot on her tongue. She giggled playfully.

"Excuse me."

* * *

It was evening twilight when Rhyth and Yoyo decided to skate slowly around Rokkaku-dai Heights one last time before tomorrow's protest. The area was a beautiful shade of orange — as typical at that time of day — but this time a haunting atmosphere permeated throughout it. Trails of dark clouds loomed in the distance.

Rhyth shivered in the night-time cold. She huddled closer to Yoyo for warmth, but he was too timid to reciprocate the gesture. They continued down the same dirt path they had wandered down together many times before.

"Are you cold?" he asked her.

"Of _course_ I am!" she said bluntly. "I _knew_ I should have worn a coat."

"You can wear my hoodie if you want," Yoyo offered her.

Rhyth turned her head towards him. "Really?" she responded, but before the words had left her mouth Yoyo was already taking off the strap that rested over his sweatshirt. With nothing but a green t-shirt underneath, he pulled his sweatshirt off over his head and held it out to her.

"Here ya go."

Rhyth smiled as she grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled it on over her head. Yoyo's body heat still lingered in his sweatshirt and immediately warmed her up.

"Aren't _you_ gonna be cold now though?" she asked him.

Yoyo was beginning to shake in the cold, but he brushed it off. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

He put his strap back on across his chest and they continued on their merry way. With Yoyo's sweatshirt keeping her warm, Rhyth could stop worrying about the cold and start enjoying their tranquil time together. That tranquility soon wore off as she began thinking about tomorrow's protest.

"You know," Rhyth said, "this might be the last time we get to be together."

"Why do you say that?" Yoyo asked her.

"Well, if tomorrow goes horribly, Gouji will probably have us all arrested."

"Don't say things like that!" Yoyo replied, scared of the possible outcome. "Be more positive."

"It's not that easy," Rhyth replied. "Do you really think things will go well?"

Yoyo struggled to come up with what to say. He definitely had his doubts, but he couldn't let Rhyth know about them; it would only freak her out even more. He had to be confident for the both of them.

"Of course!" he answered, feigning enthusiasm. "We can do anything!"

His fake positivity failed to lift Rhyth's spirits. "I think you might be a bit too optimistic," she told him.

"Or maybe _you're_ the one who's being too _pessimistic,_ " he replied.

Rhyth stared down at the ground. "I can't help it. You know I get worried easily, and it's hard to be hopeful of something that seems so impossible."

"But you _do_ have hope," Yoyo told her. "You know how I can tell?"

She looked back up at him. "How?"

Yoyo stared into her eyes. "Because if you _didn't_ have any hope, you'd be bawling your eyes out right now."

Rhyth continued to look at Yoyo until a faint smile formed on her face. She quickly turned her head away from him, but Yoyo could tell that he had gotten to her. She confirmed it moments later.

"Maybe you're right."

The two of them continued down the path in silence, just taking in their environment. After countless times of skating through Rokkaku-dai, Yoyo had come to fall in love with it. Or perhaps _where_ they skated didn't matter; all that mattered was that he was together with Rhyth.

Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and clenched it tight. He quickly turned towards her as she pulled him into a secluded alleyway.

"Hey Yoyo," she said meekly, "if this _is_ our last time skating together, can we do something to make it special?"

Yoyo liked the idea too, but he wasn't sure of what they could do to make their night more memorable. The Kogane district lacked any interesting sights, other than its magnificent view of the sunset which they had already experienced many times before.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked her.

Rhyth shuffled her feet in the dirt. "Well, we're all alone here."

Yoyo simply stared at her blankly. "So what?"

Rhyth smiled, and without any hesitation she jumped towards him, wrapping her arms around his chest and knocking them both down onto the ground in a warm embrace. This time, Yoyo didn't fail to reciprocate.

* * *

Beat and Kat sat and stared at the horizon from atop Benten Tower as the sun finally set over the city. Even if it weren't dusk, the dark clouds that had suddenly blanketed the sky would have blocked out the sun regardless. Despite the chilly weather and their high altitude, the cold didn't faze either Beat or Kat; they had both gotten used to it.

All that Beat could think about was tomorrow's protest. He still had yet to tell Kat that he'd be infiltrating the Rokkaku Building instead of protesting in the streets. He knew that it was wrong to hide it from her though, and this was his last chance to talk to her before tomorrow.

Kat continued staring off into the distance. "So tomorrow's the day, huh," she said.

"Yeah," Beat replied. "To be honest, I'm kinda nervous."

Kat turned her head towards him. "It's better to be nervous now than later," she told him. "You're the one who's gonna be leading the GGs, after all. You have to have a clear head tomorrow, so just let all your worries out now. With me."

Kat was practically inviting Beat to let out his doubts. He knew that now was as good a time as any to finally tell her the truth.

"I gotta tell you something," he said. "Me and the rest of the GGs think that Corn is being held in the Rokkaku Building."

" _Gouji_ has him?" Kat exclaimed in shock.

Beat nodded. "Yeah, and tomorrow might be our only chance to break into there and get him out, so—"

"Wait," Kat interrupted him. "You guys are gonna break into the _Rokkaku Building?_ "

"We _have_ to," he said. "Corn's our leader and we can't give up on him."

"Do you guys even know for sure that he's in there?" she asked him. "What evidence do you have?"

"We don't really have any concrete proof that they've locked him up in their headquarters," he answered, "but where _else_ would they be keeping him?"

"Probably not in the same building where they keep their offices!" she yelled into his face.

"Well it's all we have to go on!" he shouted back. "I mean, we're not even sure if he's still _alive!_ " he paused for a moment. "No, he's definitely alive. He _has_ to be. They wouldn't kill him…"

Kat leaned towards Beat and gently placed her hand over his. They looked into each other's eyes.

"I get that Corn is a close friend of yours," she said softly to him, "but… please change your mind."

"I can't," he responded. "I have to do it, no matter how risky it is."

"'Risky' is one hell of an understatement!" she replied harshly. "We know what Gouji's men are capable of. If you slip up…" She shook her head. "I don't want to think about what'll happen to you."

"I promise you, I'm taking this as seriously as you are," he assured her. "I'm not gonna let myself or any of the others get hurt."

"That's an empty promise if I've ever heard one," she remarked. "You'll be at the complete mercy of the Rokkaku Group."

"But I'll have something to fight for; to keep me going," he said. "People who really want something fight as hard as they can to get it, and I want nothing more in the world than to come back here when this whole thing is over and see you again."

His words got Kat to smile, but he could still see uncertainty in her eyes.

He continued. "With that kind of motivation, I can accomplish anything. You just gotta believe in me."

Kat turned her head and looked back towards the cityscape. Beat anxiously waited for a response, but she wouldn't give one. He took her silence as a sign of submission and joined her in looking at the nightlife. In the distance, he could see the brightly-lit Rokkaku Expo Stadium. The people down on the streets were expected to congregate there tomorrow. He only hoped that they'd join in on the protest instead. He looked away from the stadium and relaxed himself a bit.

"I believe you."

Beat turned his head towards Kat, who had suddenly uttered those words, and saw a gentle look of encouragement on her face. He smiled softly in return.

"But," she continued while running her hand through her hair, "just in case something _does_ happen, will you spend the night here with me?"

Beat knew how he _wanted_ to answer, but he was worried about how the other GGs would react. Tensions were still high among the gang, and if they noticed that another member had gone missing for the night they might panic. He was especially concerned of what Gum's reaction would be — would she stay up all night worrying about him like she did with Corn? She and the rest of the gang needed to be well-rested for tomorrow.

However, he felt that he owed it to Kat to spend the night with her. As much as he wished to not think about it, there was a very real possibility that this _would_ be the last time they'd see each other. He was also confident in Gum's ability to keep herself together after she had proven herself by confronting the Love Shockers earlier that day. It wasn't an easy decision for him to make, but he ultimately said what he wanted to say from the beginning.

"Of course I'll stay."

Kat smiled brightly, which was enough to tell Beat that he had made the right choice. The two of them huddled closer together, she resting her head on his shoulder and he wrapping his arm around her waist. For that night, they chose not to think of their fears; all they cared about was each other.


	29. Chapter 29 – Disruption

**Chapter 29 – Disruption**

Today was the day.

It was an hour before noon. An overcast sky hung over Tokyo as endless stampedes of people entered the Rokkaku Expo Stadium. Cube and the members of Rapid 99 watched them from just outside the entrance. Luckily for them, there didn't seem to be any security guards watching the perimeter.

Around Kat's neck were Beat's headphones. When she had woken up in her bed that morning, Beat had already left her side to join up with the rest of the GGs. She was surprised to find that, whether intentionally or not, he had left his headphones behind. She brought it with her to the protest as a keepsake.

"Weren't the Immortals supposed to help us?" asked one of the other members of Rapid 99.

"They're probably doing their part around Pharaoh Park," Cube answered. "As if those lazy bastards didn't know that everybody's heading towards the _stadium_ today, not that stupid mummy park."

Kat surveyed the large crowd of people surrounding the entrance.

"So, how do you wanna start this thing?" she asked Cube.

Cube smirked. "Let me handle it."

The members of Rapid 99 stood and watched as Cube skated into middle of the crowd and called out for their attention.

"People of Tokyo, for years we've been letting the Rokkaku Government walk all over us and our rights. Ever since that Gouji punk took office, this once-great city has been spiraling down the drain. Gouji has waged a war on diversity, creativity, and individuality, all while using his corrupt government to line his pockets with even more money. And now he's staging a conference to announce 'the future of Tokyo,' something that will undoubtedly sink this city even further!"

The crowd of people entering the stadium started to slow down and pay attention to Cube as she continued her speech with increased vigour.

"Because he doesn't care about this city or it's people; all he cares about is power and profit, and he thinks he can get away with it by making us live in fear of him. Well, we no longer fear him! The people of Tokyo are stronger than that. Together, our voices can send a clear message that we want Gouji _gone!_ "

The crowd surrounding Cube became riled up. She further provoked them by starting a chant.

"Say it with me! _Kick Gouji out! Kick Gouji out!_ "

The crowd joined in and began chanting louder and louder in unison. Soon, the flood of people entering the stadium had stopped and turned around to join in the protesting.

The members of Rapid 99 continued watching from afar. Although they wouldn't admit it out loud, they were impressed by how easily Cube was able to start the protest.

"I suppose we should join them," Kat said to the other members of her gang.

The two other members approached the crowd and began chanting along with them while Kat stayed behind. She stared at the Rokkaku Building towering in the distance.

 _Come back safe, Beat._

She grabbed Beat's headphones from around her neck and placed them on her head before joining the ever-growing crowd of protesters.

* * *

A crowd of people drew around the Hell Bikers, now calling themselves the Doom Riders, as they knocked over sidewalk trashcans and empty food stands in the Shibuya district. The Love Shockers, who returned to wearing their matching Rudie outfits, looked on in fear.

" _What the hell are you doing?"_ their leader exclaimed.

One of the Doom Riders looked back at them. "What d'ya think? We're trying to start a riot!"

"More like you're trying to get _shot!_ " the leader of the Love Shockers said in return. "We're supposed to be starting a peaceful protest, not wrecking shit up!"

The Doom Rider laughed. "What's a peaceful protest gonna do? _Jack shit,_ that's what! If we wanna get to Gouji, we gotta make him scared of us. History is full of examples that show that disrupting the status quo is the best way to spark real change."

"Yeah, I suppose an old-timer like you _would_ know about history," the leader of the Love Shockers quipped.

The Doom Rider growled under his breath. "Are you gonna help us out or not?" he asked her before turning his back to her and causing more mischief.

"No thanks," she answered. "Have fun when the Golden Rhinos come to visit you again"

She and her gang skated away from the crowd as a few bystanders began to join in on the havoc. The two other members of the Love Shockers looked at each other with confusion.

"Didn't we promise to help out with the protest?" one of them asked their leader.

"Yeah," their leader replied, "but we were _also_ told that we weren't gonna be risking our lives by doing so."

The two other Love Shockers went silent as they all skated past a wall plastered with posters promoting the Rokkaku Expo. The leader of the Love Shockers suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to face the wall. She hatched an idea.

"Well," she said to the others, "I suppose there's _something_ we can do."

The two others were curious as to what their leader meant until they saw her pull out a spray can. After a quick shake of the can, she covered the wall with large drawings of pink hearts. The two others quickly pulled out their own spray cans and joined in, adding thunderbolts and outlines to the painting. Once they were finished, they stepped back to marvel at their work of art.

"Not bad," their leader commented.

They looked around them and spotted more walls covered with Rokkaku Group-issued posters. Their leader smirked.

"But it looks like we've got more work to do."

* * *

Poison Jam skated through the empty backstreets of Rokkaku-dai Heights. Although many of Tokyo's citizens were traveling to the Rokkaku Expo Stadium, the majority of those who lived in the impoverished Kogane district couldn't afford to and decided to stay home.

Poison Jam stopped in front of the bronze statue of Rokkaku Shigetsugu.

"So this is Gouji's father, oh?" one of them remarked.

"That's good enough for us," their leader growled. "Gouji loves his old man, so let's send him a message, _gahahah!_ "

The three of them put their hands on one side of the statue and with a collective grunt began pushing on it until it tipped over and fell. The statue hit the ground with a loud smash, causing its head to break off and roll a few feet away. The three of them dusted off their hands as they howled out in triumph.

The people living nearby heard the loud noise and started leaving their homes to see what all the commotion was about. Before long, a small crowd of people formed around Poison Jam and the demolished statue. The leader of Poison Jam stepped forward to address the crowd.

"Hey, are y'all as sick and tired of Gouji as we are? 'Cause if ya are, let's let him know! This place is already a big dump because of him, so there's no harm in making it worse, _gahahah!_ "

The crowd of people began mumbling amongst themselves, hesitant to join in. Poison Jam decided to lead by example. They skated over to a nearby paper billboard displaying the Rokkaku Group symbol and tore it to shreds with their hands. A few of the onlookers began to cheer and soon the crowd became riled up, chanting at the top of their lungs up and down the streets which caused more people to leave their homes and join in. Poison Jam looked on with mischievous grins on their faces before continuing with their mayhem spree.

* * *

The GGs were hiding in an alleyway just down the street from the Rokkaku Building. The protest had begun to pick up all around Tokyo, but it had yet to reach the Rokkaku Group's front door where it was still quiet and peaceful. By this point the gang was incredibly nervous, but they managed to keep themselves calm.

Jazz returned from her lookout assignment; she had been sent out earlier to assess the protest's progress in the Shibuya district. She shared her information with the others.

"It's been over an hour since the protest started in Shibuya and it's still going strong," she reported. "I'm starting to notice some armoured vehicles on the streets, too."

"Then it's time," Beat said. He skated in front of the group to address them all. "As soon as we get in the building, everyone split up into your respective pairs and search your designated floors of the building for Corn. Be thorough, but don't waste any time. As soon as you find him, get him out of there and let the others know to leave. Try not to confront any of the security guards unless you see that Corn's being protected by one that's unarmed. If that's the case, one of you try to lure them away—"

"Or beat the crap out of them," Combo interrupted.

"Or that," Beat continued, "while the other works to escort Corn out safely."

"And what if the security guards are armed?" Rhyth asked him.

"Then we'll have no choice but to abort the mission," Beat answered.

" _What?_ " Gum exclaimed.

"Freeing Corn isn't worth the risk of getting someone else killed," Beat elaborated. "That brings me to my next point: if you see someone get shot, don't stop and try to help them — just run."

" _What?_ " Gum exclaimed once again, louder this time. A few of the others also voiced their disapproval.

Beat appeared sympathetic but nevertheless unyielding. "I'm only looking out for everyone's safety," he said.

Gum was livid. "How is leaving someone to _die_ caring for our safety?"

"Because if someone stays behind, all they're gonna do is get _themselves_ shot," Beat explained. "I know it'll be hard to do, but it's the best choice in a shitty scenario."

"Beat's right," Jazz spoke up, "as hard as it is to admit. Hopefully nothing like that will happen, anyway."

Beat appreciated Jazz's support. He peeked his head out of the alleyway one last time before turning to face the entire gang. "Alright, is everyone ready?"

Some still expressed slight hesitation, but they all confirmed that they were ready. Beat lead the gang out of the alleyway and down the street. They looked up at the Rokkaku Building as they skated towards its entrance; from the foot of the building it looked as if it were piercing the clouds.

Beat swung open the double doors of the main entrance and the gang skated through them as they gathered in the lobby to analyze their surroundings. The lobby was well-furnished with potted plants and guest chairs occupying the large brightly-lit space. In front of them were two sets of stairs that led to an upper floor behind the receptionist desk. The upper floor was also furnished with chairs and tables, as well as a few occupied conference rooms surrounded by glass walls. To both sides of the lower lobby were elevators that led to the upper floors as well as small doorways that led to the separate stairwells.

Beat turned and faced his gang. "Alright, everyone get with your partner and split up."

The GGs grouped up with their designated partners: Beat with Jazz, Gum with Combo, Clutch with Yoyo, Garam with Rhyth, and Boogie with Soda. The lone receptionist behind the receptionist desk had her eyes on them since they entered the building and finally stood up from her chair to call for their attention.

"Excuse me," she said, "you can't skate in here. Please leave."

The GGs ignored her and quickly dispersed, leaving visible scratch marks on the marble flooring in their wake. The receptionist hurriedly picked up the phone on her desk and called security.

Gum and Combo took the left stairwell, counting the floors as they spiraled higher up the building. Once they arrived at the first floor they were assigned to, they left the stairwell and went into the adjacent corridor. The empty hallway had many doors, and next to each of them were signs with names on them. By looking through the small windows on each door, they could see that each room was an office. Gum and Combo decided to move on.

They skated back into the stairwell and went up another floor. Gum took a step into the adjacent room, but once she looked inside she immediately hid back inside the stairwell, pushing Combo back with her.

"There's security guards here," she whispered to him.

" _Shit,_ " he exclaimed quietly. "Do you think they're guarding Corn?"

"No, it looks like this is just an office floor. We should skip it."

They skated up another floor and peeked out of the stairwell. It looked like an empty hallway so they stepped inside. Compared to the main lobby and other two floors they saw, the concrete floor and walls of the hallway looked drab and depressing. The lack of windows in the hallway also meant that the only light came from small flickering lights spread far apart along the walls. Doors lined both sides of the hallway, each with a small window looking into the rooms and a keypad on their handles.

"What's up with this hallway?" Gum wondered aloud.

"I dunno," Combo replied. "It's kinda sinister-looking, don't ya think?"

Gum didn't want to think too much about it. "Let's just hurry and check all the rooms," she said.

They both went down the hallway, peeking into every room through the windows. Each room looked nearly identical: a single dirty bed and toilet surrounded by cracked walls. They looked as if they were being used as prison cells, but none of them were occupied. Halfway down the hallway though, they began to hear banging on one of the doors.

"What was that?" Gum exclaimed, frightened by the sudden noise.

Combo skated towards the room where the banging was coming from.

"Be careful!" Gum warned him.

Combo looked through the room's window. Inside, he could see Corn banging on the door.

"It's Corn!" Combo shouted.

" _What?_ " Gum rushed towards the door and peeked inside the room to see for herself. Corn stood on the other side, looking back at them through the small window. He looked filthy and tired — and he seemed to be missing his hat and skates — but otherwise he looked relatively unharmed.

"Get this door open!" Gum ordered Combo.

"Stand back, Corn!" Combo shouted through the door.

Corn stepped back from the door as Combo began kicking at the handle until the lock broke. The door slowly opened and Corn began to shuffle out, but before he could make it out of the room, Gum moved in to give him a big hug. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she no longer cared that people could see. She continued the embrace despite Corn being too tired to lift his arms around her.

"Oh god, Corn, I'm so glad to see you!" she said as she let him go and wiped her tears away. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied in a weak voice. "How the hell did you guys get past security?"

"They're a bit preoccupied with something else right now," Combo mentioned cryptically.

Corn didn't understand what Combo was hinting at. "Just get me out of here," he said.

"Where are your skates?" Gum asked him.

"They were confiscated," Corn answered.

"Do you know where they took them?"

"No, no, no," Combo interjected. "We don't got time to go looking for 'em. We'll get him a new pair tomorrow, but for now he can walk."

"But he doesn't even have any shoes!" Gum pointed out.

"Do you want me to carry him over my shoulders or what?" Combo asked her sarcastically.

"I can walk," Corn spoke up. "Let's just go, please."

He and Combo both stared at Gum who was acting overprotective, but she finally conceded.

"Alright," she said, "but first we have to find the others and tell them that we freed you."

They all began heading back towards the stairwell, but just as they reached it, the two surviving Noise Tanks hovered out of it and blocked their path. Corn and Gum jumped back in surprise while Combo braced himself for a fierce confrontation.

"You will not be going anywhere," said one of the Noise Tanks in its typical synthetic voice. "In fact, you two will be joining your friend as prisoners."

"You punks got nowhere to fly now," Combo taunted them, "so you're really gonna get it from me!"

"Forget it, Combo," Corn pleaded with him. "Just get me outta here!"

Combo put his fists down. "Alright, let's go the other way."

The three of them began rushing towards the other end of the hallway, but without his skates Corn was slower than the others and the Noise Tanks easily caught up to him. Combo wouldn't let them recapture him, so he quickly turned back and dashed into one of the Noise Tanks. The Noise Tank fell to the ground, its robotic limbs contorting in multiple directions. Corn continued running towards Gum who had reached the door to the stairwell at the other end of the hallway. They both stopped in front of the door and looked back at Combo who was grappling with the second Noise Tank.

"We're not leaving without you!" Gum shouted to him.

"You _have_ to!" Combo shouted back as he strained his muscles in the struggle. "I'll catch up soon, just get Corn outta here while you still can!"

Corn and Gum weren't comfortable with abandoning Combo but they reluctantly obeyed his order, figuring that he would easily be able to take down the Noise Tank and escape on his own. They quickly left through the stairwell as Combo and the Noise Tank grabbed each other by their collars.

"How brave of you to let your friends escape," the Noise Tank said as it removed one of its hands from Combo's collar while keeping a strong grip with the other, "but unfortunately for you, you will not be escaping with them."

Combo released one of his hands from the Noise Tank's collar and clenched it, but before he could strike, the Noise Tank quickly grabbed his hand and twisted it into an unnatural position. Combo fell to one knee but quickly re-established his footing. With both hands now free, the Noise Tank grabbed both of Combo's arms and held them firmly against his body. Combo struggled in an attempt to break free, but the synthetic tendons in the Noise Tank's fingers gripped him too tightly.

"Struggling is futile," the Noise Tank said. "But worry not; I am sure that you will enjoy meeting our _other_ guest."

Combo stopped wasting his energy on trying to resist.

 _Other guest?_

* * *

Gouji paced back and forth in the Rokkaku Expo Stadium's corporate suite. From his view from above the grandstands, he could see the sea of protesters surrounding the outside of the stadium. In the room with him were the police captain and a few armed security guards who were too intimidated by Gouji's menacing presence to stand near him. Indeed, Gouji had never been more furious in his entire career as a politician, but he somehow kept himself relatively well-composed.

In the middle of the stadium's field was a stage where he was supposed to make his big speech, but all of the stadium's seats were empty. Even the people who had entered the stadium earlier had left once they found out about the protest happening outside. Gouji's plans were collapsing in front of his eyes.

He marched over to the police captain who was looking out the window, assessing the angry crowd.

"How are they holding back the protest?" he asked the captain.

"We've been able to keep the protest out of the stadium, sir," the captain answered, "but I got a report that it's spread all around Tokyo, even to the Kogane district."

"Why aren't you _arresting_ people?"

"Arresting people wouldn't accomplish anything," the captain replied. "There are too many protesters, and arresting them at random would only anger the crowd."

" _I don't care!_ " Gouji exclaimed. "I just want that protest gone so that the expo can continue!"

The officer of the Golden Rhinos ran into the room and interrupted Gouji's conversation with the police captain.

"Sir, you're gonna need to postpone the expo," the officer said to Gouji.

"No, I refuse to!" Gouji responded while crossing his arms.

"Sir, I've gotten word that some Rudies have infiltrated the Rokkaku Building," the officer told him.

" _What?_ "

"All of my men are here at the stadium," the officer continued, "so the only people left at the building are unarmed security guards. I've been trying to get some of my men over there, but all of the stadium's exits are blocked by protesters. We're using helicopters to fly them there in small groups."

Gouji clenched his fists and teeth. He pushed the Golden Rhinos officer and police captain out of his way and stormed towards the door.

" _Screw_ your men!" Gouji exclaimed. "Get me on a helicopter back to the building."

"B-But sir," the police captain stammered, "what about the expo?"

Gouji stopped in the door's frame and spoke in a low voice. "It's postponed. Now hurry up with that helicopter."

The officer of the Golden Rhinos quickly followed Gouji out of the room and up towards the helipad on the roof.


	30. Chapter 30 – Getaway

**Chapter 30 – Getaway**

Beat and Jazz went up another level of the Rokkaku Building. They were assigned to search the top floors of the building and were nearly finished their task, still with no sight of Corn. The narrow hallway they were in had carpet flooring which made it impossible for them to skate, so they were forced to awkwardly walk in their skates. Every room on their floor was a conference room with glass walls that allowed them to see into them. Luckily, it looked like nobody was inside any of them.

Jazz was being thorough in her search of each floor, but Beat was pushing her to rush through them. He didn't want to spend too much time in the building, lest they end up in a confrontation with the Golden Rhinos. He knew that by now security was alerted of their presence, so an invisible clock was counting down to when they'd be mobilized.

"I doubt they're keeping Corn on one of these upper floors," Beat remarked. "Usually people put their dungeons in the basement of their building."

Jazz glared at him. "Now's not the time to be making jokes, Beat."

"Well this looks like a regular old office floor, so let's move on," he suggested.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a swarm of footsteps heading in their direction.

"People are coming," Jazz exclaimed in a hushed tone. "Let's leave."

They turned around and headed back towards the stairwell until they saw a group of gun-carrying trench coat-wearing Golden Rhino assassins emerge from around the corner, cutting them off.

"There they are!" one of them shouted.

Beat and Jazz turned around again and headed in the opposite direction towards the other stairwell, but once again another group of armed Golden Rhino assassins blocked their path. They were trapped.

" _Shit,_ " Beat exclaimed.

The Golden Rhinos began closing in on them in the narrow hallway. Beat and Jazz desperately looked around for an escape route, but there was none — they were completely surrounded.

A tall figure stepped forward from behind one of the groups of Golden Rhinos, causing the assassins to stand back and yield. Jazz's fear turned into anger when she recognized the man as Rokkaku Gouji himself.

"You're all a bunch of persistent rats, you know that?" Gouji said bitterly. "You kids just couldn't take the hint after I captured your friend."

"Where are you keeping our friend?" Beat asked him in a nervous tone.

Gouji chuckled menacingly. "Don't worry, my men will be taking you two to see him shortly."

"It's too late for you, Gouji," Jazz told him sternly. "The protest has already spread all across Tokyo. The people have spoken and your days are numbered."

Gouji scowled. "Those protests are _nothing!_ " he shouted at her. "I _laugh_ at the people who think they can enact change by themselves. _I'm_ the one in power, not them."

"The people have more power than you think," Jazz retorted. "How do you expect to lead a city when its people won't follow your words anymore?"

"Fear is more persuasive than words, my dear," Gouji responded. "That's how I've always gotten my way, and I don't plan on it changing now. We'll see how defiant those protesters are when they have _guns_ pointed at their heads."

He snapped his fingers. "Take these kids away," he ordered the Golden Rhinos as he walked away from Beat and Jazz. "Lock 'em up with their friend."

Four Golden Rhino assassins stepped forward and grabbed Beat and Jazz's arms, escorting them through the throng of fellow assassins. Beat and Jazz knew that any attempt at an escape would be met with a shot to the head, so they stayed completely silent as they were violently pulled down the hallway and into an elevator. The elevator slowly descended to a lower floor of the building. Beat's prior assumption about the relative location of Corn's cell was correct, but this was no time for him to gloat.

The elevator doors opened and the Golden Rhinos stepped out with their grips on Beat and Jazz still tight. They walked a few steps down the dimly-lit corridor until they noticed something abnormal lying on the floor down the hall.

"What's that over there?" one of the Golden Rhino assassins wondered aloud.

"I'll check it out," another one of them volunteered.

The assassin ran ahead to inspect the object on the floor. It appeared to be the crumpled corpse of one of the Noise Tanks.

"What the hell?" he muttered. He looked further down the hallway and noticed an open door. "Oh no…"

The assassin ran towards the open door and looked inside the room. It was empty.

" _Shit!_ " he exclaimed. "The punk got away!"

"No way!" one of the other assassins responded as he ran over to the empty cell. "Damn, one of the other kids must have busted him out. Call the others on the radio and tell them to search the entire building. We might still be able to catch them before they get away."

Beat and Jazz looked at each other, both of them recognizing what had happened. They breathed a small sigh of relief in knowing that Corn had been freed, but they knew that they wouldn't be so lucky.

"Mayor Rokkaku isn't gonna be happy when he finds out about this," one of the assassins said. "Let's just lock these two up for now."

"Two of us should stay here to keep watch in case any more of their friends come to try and break them out," another assassin suggested.

The Golden Rhinos assassins dragged Beat and Jazz into two separate cells and locked them in. Two of them stayed behind to keep watch of the doors while the other two left to search for the other GGs.

* * *

Clutch, Garam, Rhyth, and Yoyo stood impatiently in the main lobby. They had finished searching their respective floors of the building and were waiting for the other GGs to return, but they knew that they didn't have much time to wait around. Other than themselves, the lobby was disconcertingly empty — even the receptionist had left her desk. The security guards were surely on their way to lock down the main entrance.

Boogie and Soda skated down from the left stairwell and joined up with the others in the lobby.

"No luck," Boogie said. "We checked all of our floors and didn't find Corn. I'm guessing none of you guys found him either."

The others shook their heads in dismay.

"Have you seen any of the others?" Boogie asked them.

"No, we haven't," Rhyth answered.

"Me and Yoyo haven't, either," Garam added.

Soda sighed. "Well we can't just sit and wait for them," he said. "Let's get outta here."

"We can't just leave without the others!" Rhyth protested.

"We _have_ to!" Boogie replied. "If we stick around then we're only putting ourselves in more danger."

"But if we leave without the others then we'll be leaving _them_ in more danger!" Rhyth retorted.

"You don't know that," Soda replied. "Hell, they might have already left."

Just as he said that, the group heard the sounds of skates coming from the right stairwell. They turned towards it to see Gum coming out with Corn leaning onto her for strength.

" _Corn!_ " they all screamed in relief as they skated up to him.

"Thank god you're okay, man!" Clutch said as he patted Corn on the back.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Rhyth cried, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's nice to see you guys, too," Corn replied, his voice still weak.

"Hurry, we have to get him out of here," Gum said as she began skating towards the entrance door with Corn.

"Wait," Garam interrupted. "Wasn't Combo with you?"

"Yeah, but we got ambushed by the Noise Tanks," Gum told them. "Combo stayed back to hold them off so that me and Corn could escape."

"Oh no!" Rhyth uttered.

Garam was worried, too. "Is he gonna be able to make it out alright?" he asked Gum.

"I hope so," Gum answered with uncertainty.

"And what about Beat and Jazz?" Yoyo mentioned.

Before anyone could respond to Yoyo's query, they heard the sound of a door being burst open on the upper floor of the lobby, followed by the sounds of many marching footsteps coming towards them.

"Let's go, _now!_ " Gum shouted.

The others followed her and Corn out of the Rokkaku Building as a group of armed Golden Rhino assassins ran down the steps and into the lower lobby. They narrowly caught a glimpse of the GGs leaving the building.

" _After them!_ " one of them yelled.

They ran out the doors in chase, but quickly stopped in their tracks when they spotted what else was outside — a large crowd of angry protesters making its way towards the building.

" _Crap._ What do we do?" one of the assassins asked.

"Let's retreat," another assassin answered. "We can't hunt them down in front of all these pissed-off people."

The assassins rushed back into the Rokkaku Building. One of them pulled out a radio from his trench coat and spoke into it.

"A large group of protesters is heading towards the building. Lock all the main entrances."

The assassin put his radio away as the sound of the front doors locking could audibly be heard by the assassins.

"Well, at least that's the last time any more of those kids will escape," he remarked.

* * *

The lone remaining Noise Tank carried a defeated Combo down another dark and empty hallway. Combo's limbs dangled towards the ground as his body weighed down on the Noise Tank's shoulder, slowing it down slightly. It sensed that Combo was still breathing, but he showed no signs of consciousness.

"If you believe that your friends somehow managed to escape, you are deluding yourself," the Noise Tank said aloud to the silent Combo. "Every single member of the Golden Rhinos is surrounding this building as I speak. There is nowhere for your friends to go."

The Noise Tank stopped in front of a door similar to the one that was keeping Corn locked up.

"This is your stop."

The Noise Tank began pressing buttons on the door's keypad while keeping Combo lifted up with its other arm. Before it could finish typing in the code to open the door, Combo suddenly came to life and jumped off of its shoulder. The Noise Tank quickly turned around to see Combo winding up his fist, and before it could react he punched it square in the head. It fell to the ground and Combo proceeded to climb on top of its body and repeatedly bash it with his fists until it stopped responding.

"Did you really think you could knock _me_ out?" Combo asked it, not expecting a response.

He returned to his feet and assessed his surroundings. The hallway he was brought to was similar to the one he and Gum had found Corn in. Perhaps if he looked around he'd find the 'other guest' the Noise Tank had mentioned earlier.

He skated down the hallway, peeking through the small windows of every door he passed. More empty cells identical to the ones he had seen before. Combo wondered why there were so many of them. Did Gouji really expect himself to have that many political enemies when planning the construction of the Rokkaku Building? How many innocent people had been locked in these cells, and what happened to them since? Combo didn't think too much about it, but he knew that Gouji wasn't above murder.

Combo peeked into another room. A dark-skinned man with white spiked hair and a goatee of the same colour was laying down on the bed inside. He noticed Combo looking inside and quickly hopped off of the bed.

"Hey kid, get me outta here!" the man pleaded.

Combo recognized the man's distinct voice.

" _DJ Professor K?"_

"The one and only!" he replied smugly with some urgency still in his inflection. "Now open this door, quick!"

Combo took a step back and kicked the door's handle until the lock broke. The door slowly opened and DJ Professor K came walking out of the room. Combo couldn't believe his eyes — he was actually meeting _the_ DJ Professor K, and he potentially just saved his life.

DJ Professor K patted Combo on the shoulder. "Thanks, kid! Can you believe Gouji built prison cells in an office building? And then he has the gall to feed prisoners nothing but shitty crackers!" He paused and took a closer look at Combo. "Hey, aren't you one of the GGs?"

"Yeah," Combo answered. "You recognize me?"

"I recognize _all_ the Rudies," DJ Professor K replied with a grin.

The two of them began making their way down the hallway towards one of the stairwells.

"Man, I heard about that protest you guys were planning," DJ Professor K told Combo, "but before I could talk about it on my show, those Golden Rhino punks busted into my studio and shut me down. They trashed all my equipment, too!"

"That's rough, man," Combo replied sympathetically. "I'm sure there's people who wouldn't mind helping you set up a new studio."

"I can worry about that later. For now, let's just find a way out of this place."

They entered the stairwell together and started descending the flight of stairs. Halfway down the steps though, they began hearing the sounds of rushing footsteps below them.

" _Shit,_ it's security!" DJ Professor K exclaimed.

He and Combo scrambled out of the stairwell and through the nearest door. They found themselves on an office floor filled with desks and chairs in spacious cubicles. A few employees spotted them and ran away from their workstations. Luckily for Combo, the flooring wasn't carpeted.

Combo looked towards DJ Professor K. "Let's take the other stairwell," he suggested.

They began making their way towards the other side of the room as Golden Rhino assassins ran out of the stairwell behind them.

" _Get the skater!_ " one of them shouted as they made chase.

Combo and DJ Professor K looked at each other. The Golden Rhinos cared more about catching troublesome Rudies than about containing their pre-existing prisoners, but without skates DJ Professor K wouldn't be able to evade Gouji's goons for long. One of them was bound to get caught unless they did something.

"Let's split up," Combo said to DJ Professor K. "I'll distract them; you just make sure you get out safely."

DJ Professor K nodded and the two of them parted ways. Combo skated past the stairwell and through a row of cubicles, diverting the Golden Rhino assassins from DJ Professor K who was able to swiftly escape into the stairwell.

Combo skated into a long hallway, looking for another escape route. There was no way out other than by taking the elevator, but he figured he'd be easily caught if he tried to do so. All of the rooms in the hallway were dead-end conference rooms enclosed entirely by glass walls, even the walls facing out of the building which acted as large windows. Combo looked through the windows and could see the rooftops of nearby buildings. With nowhere else to go, he came up with a last resort.

He skated into one of the conference rooms after gaining some distance between himself and the assassins and took a closer look out the window. Two storeys below and a few metres across from him — potentially within jumping distance — was the rooftop of an adjacent building. The sizeable gap between the buildings was all that came between him and safety, but failing the jump would mean certain death. Without thinking, he picked up a chair and began throwing it against the window. The window showed signs of cracking until it finally shattered with one final throw. The shards of glass fell down the side of the building along with the chair, but luckily nobody was in the alleyway below. Combo felt the breeze of the outside wind cool his sweat-drenched face, and the danger of what he was about to do suddenly dawned on him. Despite his fear of heights, he'd been able to leap across rooftops in the past. This time, however, the gap — and thus, the risk — was far greater than any he'd leaped before.

 _Shit, I can't do this! It's too far away! I'll get myself killed!_

Combo heard the footsteps of the assassins closing in on him. If he stuck around, the Golden Rhinos would catch him and he'd surely be killed eventually. He had no time to deliberate further on what he should do; it was now or never. His fight or flight response took over and he chose flight.

Combo took a few steps back from the open window to give himself a running start. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. Just as the Golden Rhino assassins reached the door to the conference room, he dashed forward and leaped out the window. His arms flailed in the air as he soared a hundred metres above the ground. The instant felt like an eternity. Thankfully, his momentum brought him across the gap and towards his target rooftop. He rolled as he landed to disperse the impact throughout his body. His arms and legs splayed out over the cool roof of the building as he laid on his back and looked up at the blue sky, taking in what he had just accomplished. He infiltrated Gouji's headquarters, freed Corn and DJ Professor K, and made his daring escape out a window high above the city. His heart was still beating from it all.

His moment of tranquillity was cut short when he noticed the Golden Rhino assassins looking down at him from the window. Worried that they would pull out their guns and start firing at him, he quickly scrambled to his feet and darted towards the fire escape. He left the roof, but not before gesturing both of his middle fingers at the watching assassins.

* * *

Gouji was alone in his office, staring out his window that overlooked Tokyo. The protestors had completely flooded the streets surrounding the Rokkaku Building. He could hear their angry chanting from high up in his office which infuriated him even more.

The Golden Rhinos officer walked into his office and stood in front of his desk. Gouji turned around to face him, showing him his sullen face.

"Sir, I've got bad news to report," the officer said. "We've rolled out all our helicopters and armed vehicles, but the protest isn't letting up."

Gouji scowled and began yelling at the officer. " _Why can't you idiots do your jobs properly?_ "

"We've done all we can, but the protestors aren't intimidated by us," the officer replied.

"Have you tried opening fire into the crowds?" Gouji suggested.

"S-Sir, we can't do that!" the officer stammered.

"Who says that you can't?" Gouji bellowed. " _I'm_ the one in charge here, and I don't give a damn what you guys do! Just get that protest under control!"

The officer gulped before sharing more bad news. "T-There's something else, sir. A few of our prisoners managed to escape."

Gouji's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. " _What?_ "

"Some Rudies managed to break them out," the officer explained. "The leader of the GGs gang and DJ Professor K were the ones who escaped."

By this point, Gouji was seething. He looked down at his desk and banged his hands against it, sending out a loud noise that reverberated throughout his office. He looked back up at the officer while clenching his teeth.

"What about those two kids we caught earlier?" he mentioned. "Are _they_ still in their cells?"

"Yes, sir," the officer answered. "We stationed guards next to their cells to ensure that nothing could happen to them."

"Good," Gouji responded. "Bring them to me. _Now!_ "

"Will do, sir," the officer said before marching out of Gouji's office, relieved to be away from Gouji's menacing presence. He grabbed his radio from its holder and sent out an order to the Golden Rhino assassins guarding Beat and Jazz's cells.

Alone again in his office, Gouji turned around and stared back out his window. He knew it was over — he had lost the war against the people of Tokyo. He had gotten away with plenty of corrupt activities before, but there was no way he'd be able to recover from the current day's events. He'd be forced out of his position soon enough, but until then, he wanted to make the most of his remaining time in power. A wicked grin formed on his face as he muttered to himself.

"Those two punks aren't gonna live to see me gone..."


	31. Chapter 31 – Fallout

**Chapter 31 – Fallout**

Beat was laying down on the shabby mattress of his prison bed, looking up at the ceiling. After nearly an hour of solitude, he had come to accept that he and Jazz were likely the last GGs still in the Rokkaku Building. He was glad that the others managed to escape—hopefully with Corn—but it also meant that there was no chance of another rescue mission. He and Jazz were at the complete mercy of Gouji and his men, and their outlooks weren't looking good.

It was less than a month ago that Beat joined the GGs. Back then, it was just a gang of two kids who had fun spraying graffiti around the city. Over such a short period of time, it grew to become a gang of eleven people who had a greater influence on the people of Tokyo than they ever could have expected. They alone orchestrated a mass protest that would very likely cause Gouji's regime to crumble. He didn't think that such a thing was possible, but now that he was imprisoned and likely sentenced to death, he wondered if it was all worth it.

The past few weeks had been the best of his life—he made many great friends, met the woman of his dreams, and turned his anemic life around. If the GGs hadn't decided to go after Gouji, he could have still lived a comfortable life; a life in fear of a corrupt dictator, but a life nonetheless. During the past week, he kept telling himself and the others that they had to take Gouji down no matter the risks. Only now that he had to deal with the consequences did he actually grasp the tremendous risks that they took.

Beat sighed. There was no point in analyzing what he should or shouldn't have done. Everything looks different in retrospect, and it was only when he got caught that he began to question his past decisions. He just had to learn to accept his current situation, but that wasn't any easier. He estimated that he'd be dead by the end of the week, and it was tearing him up inside. He wasn't ready to die, especially not after finally finding happiness in life. He didn't even want to think about the pain and sadness that the rest of the GGs would feel once they realized his fate, especially Kat. He felt sick in the stomach for failing to keep his promise to her. He didn't even give her a proper goodbye, but he was thankful that he at least left her his headphones as a memento. His eyes began to water.

There was at least one other silver lining though. The day that he ran away from home, he resented himself for never accomplishing anything in life. The entire reason he ran away was because his parents considered him to be a disappointment and it was making him miserable. He later vowed to himself that he would prove his parents wrong, and even though his life was likely going to be cut short at the young age of seventeen, he could at least proudly say that they _were_ wrong. If only they could see him now.

 _On second thought, they probably wouldn't want to see me in a prison cell awaiting death,_ he thought to himself.

Across the hall from Beat's cell, Jazz was likewise contemplating the past few weeks' events. From the very beginning, she believed that the regular people of Tokyo had more power than they knew. Seeing her beliefs finally be proven correct was cathartic, even if it would end with her own demise as well as Gouji's.

She was surprisingly stoic throughout her entire imprisonment. She of course didn't want to die either, but she understood the risks of their operation more than anyone else and had already come to peace with the possibility of her death. While Beat was weeping over losing his friends and lover, Jazz had nobody to weep about; she had only just begun to acquaint herself with the GGs and had been a relative loner prior to then. She instead hummed her favourite songs in her head to keep herself preoccupied from her impending punishment.

Beat and Jazz heard sounds coming from the hallway. The two Golden Rhino assassins who were guarding their cells were talking about something. Suddenly, their cell doors opened and the assassins motioned for them to step out.

"Mayor Rokkaku wants to see you two," one of them said.

Beat and Jazz looked at each other nervously as they left their cells.

"If we see one of you try anything funny, we won't hesitate to shoot," the other assassin said intimidatingly.

Beat and Jazz were too afraid to even say anything to each other. They simply nodded silently and allowed the assassins to lead them to the elevator down the hall. One of the assassins pushed the elevator call button and the elevator door immediately opened as if it hadn't been used since they last rode it. Once they all stepped inside, the assassin pushed the button for the top floor. The door slowly closed and the elevator began its ascent. Beat's heart began to pound in his chest. This would be it, he thought—this would be the end for him.

The elevator stopped at the top floor. The assassins pushed Beat and Jazz out of the elevator and led them down the hallway as the elevator door closed behind them. The officer of the Golden Rhinos was standing in front of the door to Gouji's office and opened it for them, glaring at Beat and Jazz as they entered.

The dark-coloured walls of the office were brightly lit with multiple lamps that were attached to them, as well as an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Gouji was leaning against his desk at the far end of the room, looking towards them. Even with his dark eyeglasses obscuring his eyes, his stare was intense. Beat and Jazz heard the door close behind them and turned around to see the two assassins guarding it with their arms crossed. The spine-chilling sound of Gouji's weary voice made them turn back towards him.

"I underestimated you Rudies," he said. "In just a few short hours you've caused so much chaos."

Beat and Jazz stood motionless in the middle of the room. A sly grin formed on Gouji's face.

"Would you like to see the fruits of your labour?" he asked them, motioning towards the window behind his desk.

Beat looked at Jazz who silently shook her head at him, but he ignored her warning and began to approach the window. Gouji followed him behind his desk as he looked out the window and saw thousands of protesters marching towards the Rokkaku Building. The incredible sight washed away his doubts—he was now certain that Gouji would be forced to resign.

Suddenly, Gouji grabbed the back of Beat's head and slammed it against the window glass, keeping his face pressed against it as his nose began to bleed.

" _Beat!_ " Jazz cried as she tried to approach him and Gouji.

"Stop right there!" yelled one of the Golden Rhino assassins behind her. "Stand still or we'll shoot!"

Jazz stopped in her tracks and could do nothing but stare as Gouji kept Beat's bleeding face pressed against the glass. He leaned in closer to Beat.

"You've caused me a lot of pain," he snarled into Beat's ear, "so now I'm gonna return the favour."

He pushed Beat to the ground and stood over his cowering body. A sickening smile formed on his face as he looked down at the injured and frightened Rudie. He stepped towards his desk and opened one of its drawers, reaching inside to grab something. Jazz's eyes widened when she saw him pull out a large pocketknife and flip it open.

" _Beat, he's got a knife!_ " she shouted.

"Hey, no talking!" one of the Golden Rhino assassins yelled at her.

Gouji turned towards the assassins. "Shut up, you two!" he scolded them. "Let them scream and cry. This is for _my_ enjoyment!"

"B-But sir, we—" one of them stammered.

"Just get out!" Gouji ordered them. "Guard the door from the outside. _I'll_ take care of these pests."

The Golden Rhino assassins looked at each other and reluctantly left the room, closing the door behind them.

Beat was on all fours as he tried to get back up to his feet, but Gouji kicked him in the gut and caused him to fall back down onto his stomach. With the Golden Rhino assassins now gone, Jazz attempted to approach Beat to aid him. She was stopped by Gouji who pointed his knife directly at her.

"Wait your turn," he told her, "unless you want a more grueling treatment."

Beat began slowly crawling away from Gouji. Gouji simply chuckled and kneeled down in front of him, blocking his path.

"Why couldn't you kids just let things be?" he asked Beat. "I was perfectly content to let you Rudies do your own thing and get into petty fights with each other, but once you started going after me I just couldn't sit back and let that happen."

"You had it coming with the way you've been oppressing the city," Jazz said, catching Gouji's attention.

Gouji stood up straight and turned towards her. "Oppression is the only way to command respect from my citizens."

" _Nobody_ respects you," Jazz retorted. "Why do you think they're all protesting in the streets?"

Gouji scowled. "Those people are _idiots!_ I've done so much for this city to carry on my father's legacy."

"Your father was a hell of a better mayor than you," Jazz remarked.

"You don't know a _thing_ about my father!" Gouji bellowed. " _I'm_ the one who was tasked to live up to his reputation." He began pacing back and forth behind his desk. "I'm not oblivious to what people have to say about me, but the Rokkaku Expo was supposed to change everything and silence all my critics." He clenched his free fist. "But of course you Rudies had to get in the way and mess it all up."

"And how was the expo gonna change everything?" Jazz asked him, curious as to what his so-called ambitious plans for Tokyo were going to be.

Gouji stopped pacing around and stood stationary behind his desk. "I didn't build a stadium just for the expo, you know," he began to explain. "It was going to be used for football matches, concerts, and all sorts of big events that would have helped bring money into the city."

Jazz stared silently at Gouji, waiting for him to go on. Once it was clear that there was nothing more to his plan, she threw a fit.

" _That's it?_ " she exclaimed. " _That_ was your big plan to save Tokyo? How was _that_ supposed to help?"

"A lack of funds is the root of Tokyo's problems," Gouji told her.

"That's because you've been embezzling it!" Jazz snapped.

Gouji crossed his arms. "That was just a ludicrous rumour. I've been doing everything I can to help this city, including building the stadium."

"To me it sounds like it was just another one of your vanity projects," Jazz scoffed. "Yet again, millions of dollars were wasted by your government on something that nobody wanted or needed."

Gouji slammed his hands on his desk. "Oh, yeah? Would the hotel that you punks have been living in count as a 'vanity project' as well?"

He took pleasure in watching Jazz's facial expression change from furious to fearful.

"That's right," he said with a wicked grin. "I recently found out about the abandoned hotel that you and your friends have been living in. You're right: it _was_ a waste of money. I'll be sure to have it demolished as soon as possible. And as for your friends, they may become homeless but it'll be a better fate than what I plan on doing to _you_ two."

He stepped away from his desk and back towards Beat and Jazz.

"You two are going to meet your demise in the most brutal way imaginable: by the hands of your own worst enemy."

He looked down at Beat to see his reaction. Beat simply stared back at him with a look of defiance.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me, Gouji," he said. "You've already lost. The people of Tokyo are coming for you and there's nothing you can do about it. Killing us isn't gonna change a damn thing. You're living on borrowed time."

Gouji walked up to Beat and lifted him up by the collar of his shirt. He held his knife up in front of Beat's face.

"I'll show you who's living on borrowed time."

Jazz rushed towards Gouji and grabbed his knife-wielding arm, pulling it down and away from her and Beat. As Gouji's centre of gravity shifted, she kicked his legs out from under him which caused him to fall to the ground and release Beat. He kept a firm grasp on his knife and tried to wave it around at Jazz, but her grip on his arm was equally as strong and prevented him from cutting her.

"Let go of me!" he hissed.

Beat scrambled onto Gouji's body and punched him in the face, shattering his eyeglasses and causing him to release his knife. Jazz let go of Gouji and quickly reached for his knife, picking it up off the ground. For a brief moment she contemplated stabbing him with it while he was down, but she knew it was a bad idea. His downfall would come soon enough and escaping was her current priority.

"Beat, let's go!" she implored him, not wanting to miss what was perhaps their only opportunity to flee.

Beat punched Gouji one more time in the face before getting back to his feet and following Jazz towards the door. Gouji stayed lying on the floor, but he wouldn't let them escape that easily.

" _Guards!_ " he yelled to the assassins waiting just outside the room. " _Get back in here and stop them!_ "

The two Golden Rhino assassins and their officer burst through the door right as Beat and Jazz were dashing towards it, catching the soldiers by surprise. Beat and Jazz skated past them and down the hallway.

" _Just shoot them!_ " Gouji commanded.

The assassins unholstered their handguns and took aim at the two Rudies, but they skated past the elevator and around the corner before they could open fire. The assassins quickly chased after them.

Beat and Jazz rushed to the other end of the hallway and towards the other elevator. Beat mashed the elevator call button, praying that it would arrive quickly. Thankfully, it opened immediately and the two of them scrambled inside right as the assassins turned the corner and began firing at them. Beat quickly hit the button for the main lobby and the door slowly closed as bullets whizzed past it. Once they felt the elevator begin to descend, they both breathed a big sigh of relief and took the opportunity to catch their breaths.

"God, that was close," Beat said, his heart still beating rapidly. "You freaking saved my life, Jazz."

"Yeah," was the only word that Jazz could think of to respond with. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked back at Beat, noticing the blood around his nose again.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. "Your nose…"

"Oh, yeah." Beat rubbed his nose with his fingers. It felt a bit sore, but fine otherwise. He looked at his fingers to see that he had gotten blood on them. "It ain't broken, just bleeding."

Jazz grabbed the handrail in the elevator to support her weary body. "Do you think the others made it out?"

"I'm positive that they did," Beat answered. "Otherwise, they would have been in Gouji's office with us."

"Good point," Jazz replied. "So I guess they _did_ save Corn. Thank god."

The elevator stopped and opened at the lobby. The two of them skated out but stopped abruptly once they spotted more Golden Rhinos gathered together. Upon closer look though, they seemed to be distracted by the large crowd of shouting protesters that were surrounding the main entrance.

"Quick, let's find a different exit," Jazz whispered to Beat.

They sneakily skated past the Golden Rhinos and into the rightmost stairwell where there was another exit door. They rushed out the door and finally felt the refreshing breeze of freedom. The door closed with no outside handle to get back in, which explained why none of the Golden Rhinos were guarding it. They could hear the loud chanting of the protesters from around the corner.

"We did it," Beat said while panting. "We escaped hell."

"It's still pretty dangerous here," Jazz replied. "Let's head back to the Garage. The others will be happy to see us, and I'll be happy to see Corn."

Beat nodded, then looked down at Jazz's hand. "Uh, are you bringing that thing with you?"

Jazz looked down and realized that she was still holding Gouji's pocketknife in her hand. She took a closer look at it and noticed the name "Rokkaku Shigetsugu" engraved onto the handle.

"Man, Gouji must have had a twisted relationship with his dad," she remarked.

She threw the pocketknife to the ground and the two of them made their way towards the Garage as the protest raged on.

* * *

Gouji sat slumped over his desk with a bloody nose of his own. All of his joy had been seeped out of him. He was likely to lose his position as mayor of Tokyo and he wouldn't even get the pleasure of killing the people responsible for it. He had disgraced himself on a national stage.

The officer of the Golden Rhinos entered Gouji's office and walked towards his desk. Gouji looked up at him and could see the humiliated look on his face.

"Don't tell me…" Gouji braced himself for bad news.

The officer looked down at the floor as he spoke. "The two Rudies escaped, sir."

Gouji grumbled. "It doesn't matter at this point."

He turned around in his chair and looked out his window, Beat's bloodstain still on the glass. The protest down on the streets showed no signs of letting up.

"There's more," the officer continued. "The Prime Minister has been trying to reach you. He wants to speak with you right away."

Gouji sighed. After a short pause, he said to the officer, "Get out."

The officer walked out of the room. Once Gouji heard the door close, he turned back around in his chair and pushed a button on his office phone before picking up the receiver and holding it to his ear. His receptionist answered at the other end of the line.

"Get the Prime Minister on the line with me," he spoke into the receiver. "Oh, and bring me a bottle of the most expensive whiskey we've got."


	32. Chapter 32 – Daybreak

**Chapter 32 – Daybreak**

The GGs huddled around the TV beneath the raised platform in the Garage's courtyard early in the afternoon. They watched with bated breath as the screen showed Gouji stepping up to a podium with a miserable look on his face in front of a crowd of reporters.

"People of Tokyo," he spoke into the microphone in a dejected tone, "effective immediately, I hereby resign from my position as mayor of Tokyo."

The GGs broke out into cheers and high-fives. Jazz shushed them as Gouji continued to speak.

"Furthermore, the Rokkaku Group will be dissolved and an election will be held to replace the current parliament of Tokyo. I will not be taking any questions. Thank you."

Gouji stepped away from the podium and the GGs began to cheer again. Rhyth gave Yoyo a big bear hug, and this time he didn't push her away in embarrassment. Potts ran around the group in excitement.

Jazz continued to stare at the screen with a look of astonishment. "I can't believe it's finally happening," she said.

"I know," Boogie chimed in. "It's been a long time coming, but he's finally gone. I hope I never see his ugly face ever again."

Beat leaned against one of the support pillars for the overhead platform and slowly slumped to the ground, overcome with emotions. Everything he had gone through to get to this point was worth it. He contributed to Gouji's downfall and would live to see the resulting changes take place. For the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to the future.

Rhyth let go of Yoyo and he skated into the center of the gathering. "Yo, this calls for a celebration! Let's get some pizza!"

Corn chuckled. "Sure, I could go for some pizza."

Boogie raised her hand. "Hey, get one with hot peppers on it."

Garam nudged her with his elbow. "I guess you'll be having that whole pizza to yourself then." She giggled in response.

"I'll go order them," Corn said, "and while I'm out I can pick up a new pair of skates." He gestured down towards the pair of slippers that he was wearing in the meantime. "I doubt I'll be able to find my old hat on sale, though."

Gum placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly. "Don't be too long or we'll start the party without you."

Corn gave her a reassuring smile in return. "Don't worry, I ain't gonna go missing ever again. Be back soon." He skated out of the courtyard and towards Shibuya, Gum's eyes glued to him as he left.

Combo could tell that she was still a bit nervous. "Corn ain't got nothin' to worry about," he assured her. "With the Rokkaku Group dead, the cops hopefully won't be hasslin' us as much anymore."

Soda crossed his arms as he leaned against a pillar. "And maybe _you_ guys will stop hassling _me_ to do shit."

"Soda, it's good to see that you're as callous as ever," Clutch quipped.

Beat stood back up. "I wonder when Jet Set Radio will be coming back on the air," he mused.

"I heard that DJ Professor K is doing a donation drive for equipment and records he can use," Jazz mentioned. "He wants to get his studio set back up as quickly as possible."

"That dude better give me a shout-out on the show for saving his damn life," Combo remarked.

"So, what did he look like?" Garam asked Combo.

Combo rubbed his chin and smirked. "A bit like me."

"Hah, you wish!" Garam snorted.

Beat picked up the remote for the TV and turned it off. "Well, as long as he doesn't quit his job, he can take as long as he needs to get things set up again," he said.

"Yeah, and we can always listen to something else until then," Rhyth proposed.

"I've got some Rapid songs on my music player if you guys are interested," Beat suggested.

The others looked back at him with blank expressions. They clearly weren't too keen on the idea.

"Fine, suit yourselves," he yielded. "I'm gonna go invite Kat over, if no one else minds."

He glanced around at everyone to see if they cared, pausing an extra long time on Gum.

"She's your girlfriend," she replied with sincerity. "Of course she can come hang out with us."

Beat smiled. He nodded knowingly before leaving the Garage towards 99th Street.

Garam chuckled. "I wonder if Beat ever accidentally made out with the wrong Rapid 99 girl," he joked. "Those chicks all look the same to me."

Rhyth sat down and Potts ran onto her lap. "I'm just glad that all of the fighting is over with," she said before Potts began licking her face. " _Ew, gross!_ "

"See, this is why I hate dogs," Combo commented.

Potts ran off from Rhyth's lap. "It's not _that_ gross," she replied while giggling. "It's still less sloppy than Yoyo's kisses." She quickly put her hand over her mouth, realizing what she had done.

" _Rhyth!_ " Yoyo exclaimed, his face turning red in embarrassment.

Garam raised an eyebrow. "Wait, since when have _you_ guys been going out?" he asked them.

"Um… a few days," Rhyth answered hesitantly as Yoyo glared at her, wishing he could disappear.

Clutch laughed at Yoyo. "Dude, why are you embarrassed? You should be _bragging_ that you have a girlfriend."

"Yeah, man," Boogie added while patting Yoyo on the back. "We're happy for you two."

Their kind reactions eased Yoyo's worries. He began to feel stupid for ever wanting to hide his relationship with Rhyth from them. Rhyth was relieved that their relationship was out in the open too, because it meant that they would finally be able to act like a couple in front of the others.

Clutch stretched his arms. "Well, this party's been great and all but I'm gonna go celebrate in my own way."

"And what's that?" Gum asked him.

He smirked. "I thought I'd spray some tags all over town."

"You'd better not spray tags on anyone else's turf," Jazz rebuked him. "We just got on good terms with all the other gangs and I'd rather we not ruin things right away."

"Hey, it's all in good fun," Clutch maintained.

"Me and Garam both know first-hand that it ain't always in good fun," Combo said. "Don't be stupid, dude. We don't need any more trouble."

"Fine, fine," Clutch relented. "I'll keep it on our turf." He left the Garage and skated towards the Shibuya bus terminal.

Boogie turned towards the others. "Hey, while we're waiting for Corn to come back with the pizza, anyone wanna play cards?"

"Sure," Jazz replied.

"Same," Gum added.

"I'm down," Combo chimed in.

"I'll totally whoop all your butts again," Garam taunted them.

Boogie looked towards Soda. "How about you, Soda? You in?"

"No thanks," he answered.

"Come on, Soda," Gum insisted. "Just play with us for once. It'll be cool."

Soda glared at the others as they awaited his response. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Fine. It's not like I've got anything better to do." He skated up to the others who were happy to see him freely join them in doing something fun. Combo put his arm around Soda's shoulders as a gesture of friendship.

"Great," Boogie said. "I'll get the cards." She skated into the hotel building as the others who were interested in playing gathered at the top of the courtyard platform.

Yoyo and Rhyth were the only other GGs in the courtyard. Yoyo approached Rhyth and sat down next to her.

"Am I really that bad at kissing?" he asked her.

Rhyth smiled. "I dunno, I kinda forget. Maybe you should remind me."

Yoyo groaned at the cheesy line but leaned in for a kiss anyway. Their lips touched, but he quickly pulled back.

" _Ew!_ " he spat in disgust. "You still have dog slobber on your lips!"

Rhyth burst into laughter as Yoyo tried to wipe off the lingering dog drool from his own lips.

* * *

Beat hopped off of the overpass that led straight through 99th Street and skated towards Benten Tower. He hadn't seen Kat since the morning before the protest; after he and Jazz returned to the Garage, he was too overwhelmed with feelings of relief, happiness, and exhaustion to visit her. He hoped she wasn't still worried about him.

He could still see remnants of yesterday's protest as he skated through the shopping plaza. Trash littered the ground, ruining what was once a beautiful public square. A crowd of volunteers had gathered with brooms and bags to help clean up the mess for grateful shop owners.

He spotted Kat and Cube talking to each other near the base of Benten Tower. Kat was still wearing his headphones around her neck even though they weren't plugged into anything. She noticed him as he approached and quickly skated over to give him a big hug.

"Beat, I'm so glad you're okay!" she said with a big grin on her face.

Beat put his arms around her waist. "I'm happy I'm okay, too." He decided that it was best not to mention that he nearly _wasn't_ okay.

They unwrapped their arms from around each other.

"Did you watch Gouji on TV when he announced his resignation?" Kat asked Beat.

"Of course!" he replied. "After everything we did to make it happen, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Cube skated over to them after having her conversation with Kat suddenly interrupted. "So _he's_ the guy you're dating, huh?" she asked her.

"Yeah," Beat answered on Kat's behalf. "So if you're here to bother her, you're gonna have to deal with me, too."

"Relax, Beat," Kat told him. "She's here because the band's getting back together, including our old lead singer." She gestured towards Cube.

"Yeah, we made up our differences," Cube added. "We both love our music too much to let little disagreements get in the way of it."

Beat smiled. He was happy for them, and the thought of more music coming out from one of his favourite bands made him excited, too.

"That's great news!" he said enthusiastically. "But which one of you is gonna be the new gang leader?"

"I never said that I was joining their gang again," Cube made clear. "I'm done getting involved with that stuff. I'm just in it for the music."

"Yeah, the gang life isn't really for me, either," Kat remarked. "I think we're just gonna be a band from now on."

"Does that mean you're changing your group name back to just Rapid?" Beat asked them.

"I dunno," Kat pondered. "I still like the sound of Rapid 99, but we're better known as the old name so it could be confusing."

"I say we keep it as Rapid 99," Cube proposed. "It's a new name for a new age."

"And hopefully with Gouji's censorship policies gone, you guys will actually get some decent airplay," Beat mentioned.

"I don't think we need to worry about that, anymore," Cube replied with a smirk. "Kat and I made some contributions to one of the coolest radio stations in Japan earlier today. They'll be giving our records the exposure they deserve."

"Oh, by the way," Kat recalled as she removed Beat's headphones from around her neck and handed them back to him. "Here you go."

"Oh, you can keep them if you want," Beat offered.

"Trust me," Kat told him, "I'm _happy_ to be able to return these to you."

Beat happily accepted the return of his headphones after hearing those words. He grabbed them and put them on his head. "Anyway, the GGs are having a big party in our Garage," he told Kat. "Wanna come?"

"I'd love to," she replied.

Beat looked at Cube. "You wanna come too?"

Cube shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

The three of them began making their way towards the Garage. As they skated side by side, Kat reached towards Beat's hand and clasped it with her own. Beat looked at her and smiled. They held hands the rest of the way.

At the other end of the plaza, the Immortals skated around, scanning the garbage that littered the streets. Pharaoh Park was closed on the day of the protest and therefore spared of the chaos that erupted, but they were still annoyed by the mess that was left around the neighbouring areas.

"Why must these inconsiderate people leave their trash everywhere?" one of them said in disgust.

They continued roaming around the plaza until something in particular caught their eye. Lying on the ground, trampled and covered in dirt, was Corn's hat. The hatless Immortal skated up to it and picked it up. He looked at it with a smirk on his face.

"I shall consider this as a recompense for the hat that I lost."

He dusted off the hat and put in on his head before continuing on his way. His fellow gang members snickered at his goofy new look before they followed behind him.

* * *

Corn took a stroll down a shopping plaza in Shibuya while waiting for his pizza order to be ready. Many shop owners were sweeping their entryways of the trash that was littered during the protest. Some shops kept their doors open even after having their windows broken. A few food vendors who had their booths destroyed were working diligently to repair them.

Corn spotted a sporting goods store and stepped inside. A popular radio station was playing over the store's speakers. He walked down the aisles in search for the inline skates section. Once he found it, he discovered that there was only one pair of skates left on the shelves. He grabbed them and sat down on a bench to try them on. He kicked off his slippers and slipped on the skates. They were a bit too big on him, but he figured he'd grow into them. He put his slippers back on and carried the skates over to the checkout counter.

He put the skates down onto the counter and looked up at the cashier — a young man with bags in his eyes. Corn wondered if the man had been up late last night taking part in the protest. The cashier quickly rang up the skates.

"A lotta people have been coming in today to buy skates," the cashier said.

Corn was surprised. "Really?"

"Yep," the cashier replied. "I'm betting there's gonna be a lot of new Rudies out on the streets." He pulled out a box to package the skates into.

"Oh, I don't need a box," Corn informed him. "I'm putting them on right away." He handed the cashier the money for the skates.

The cashier chuckled as he processed the purchase. After he put the money into the cash register, he handed Corn the skates with a receipt and his change. "I guess you're one of those new Rudies too then, huh?"

Corn smirked as he shoved the receipt and change into his pocket. He grabbed the skates and turned around without answering the cashier.

 _If only you knew…_

Corn exited the store. He kicked off his slippers again and put the skates back on. He threw his slippers into a nearby garbage can.

 _Those things were getting old, anyway._

He took off with his new skates, passing by a stop owner cleaning up the sidewalk. Back inside the sporting goods store, a store employee fiddled with the radio for the store's speakers until a familiar voice came on the air.

* * *

 _Yeah! It's me, DJ Professor K, back and better than ever! Thanks to a few gracious donations from some kind fans, Jet Set Radio is back on the air, baby! Gouji thought that he could silence me? Think again, sucka! And by the way, shout-out to my boy Combo from the GGs. I owe ya one, bud!_

 _Let me do a quick recap for the people who've been living under a rock. After getting pressured by the Prime Minister of Japan, Rokkaku Gouji was forced to step down as mayor of Tokyo. Not only that, but the Rokkaku Group has collapsed and they're likely taking the Golden Rhinos and the Rokkaku Police down with them. There's gonna be some major changes soon and hopefully they're for the better. But hey, who could be worse than Gouji?_

 _All of that was only possible because you people went out into the streets and made your voices heard. Power to the people, baby! Yes, it seems like things are finally looking up for this city. There can only be more good things up ahead, and Jet Set Radio will still be here to let you know what's going on. So don't forget to tune in!_

 _Sorry about the rough sound quality, but it'll get better once I finish getting my new studio set up. Until then, I think I'll shut my mouth and just play some tunes. It'll take a while for me to rebuild my old record collection, but for now here's a record personally delivered to me from the band Rapid. Dig it…_

 ** _~End of Act Three~_**


	33. Chapter 33 – Another Prologue

**Chapter 33 – Another Prologue**

A week had passed since Rokkaku Gouji formally resigned from his position as the mayor of Tokyo. Since then, the Rokkaku Group was officially dissolved and a politician outside of Gouji's circle was appointed to be the interim mayor until the proper election is held. Progress was moving slowly but surely.

Corn was sitting alone on a rooftop in Rokkaku-dai Heights, looking out at the evening sunset. His legs dangled above a waterway that glistened orange from the glow of the sun. Away from the bustling city, he was at peace with his thoughts.

He heard someone approaching from behind and turned around to see Gum standing over him.

"I've been looking for you," she told him as she sat down next to him. She joined him in looking out at the horizon. "Wow, it's such a beautiful sunset. I guess Rhyth was right about this place. She always seems to be right about things, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Corn replied quietly.

The two sat in silence for a moment, admiring the view in each other's company.

"I still can't believe that Gouji is gone," Corn said. "I don't know why we waited so long to do anything. We had the power to oust him all along."

"I guess we were just busy with other things," Gum presumed.

"It's not like those things were important," Corn remarked.

Gum glanced down at her dangling feet. She couldn't contain her feelings for him any longer. Every passing day since he'd been rescued from the Rokkaku Building, the pain of keeping her love hidden from him had grown stronger and stronger. Even at the risk of getting rejected or having their friendship ruined, she had to tell him. She was at her breaking point.

"Corn, there's something important that I want to tell you," she said to him anxiously.

Corn turned and looked at her. "What is it?"

She looked into his eyes. Her hands began to tremble and she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure of how to present her feelings to him. Should she tell him about how much she cares about him before slowly transitioning into saying that she loves him, or should she just come out and say it right away? Before she could think about it, her thoughts began spilling out of her mouth.

"Last year, when we broke up," she began, "I wasn't being honest to you. Or to me."

Corn continued to stare at her while listening intently.

"I… I wasn't thinking straight when I broke up with you. I still loved you then, and I still love you now. I did something stupid and broke your heart, I know. That memory has haunted me since the day it happened, but I was too scared to tell you how I really felt. I didn't want you to get mad and leave me forever. I know how much our breakup hurt you, and I'm so so _so_ sorry for what I did. I promise I'll never do anything like that to you ever again. I care about you more than anyone, that's why I'm finally being honest with you. I wish I could go back in time and undo what I did. I wish we could just pretend that it never happened. I wish… I wish that we could be together again."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "God, this past year has been _killing_ me. Every night, the same thoughts go through my mind: 'What if you've moved on? What if I can never have you back? What if I have to live with my mistake for the rest of my life?' I've kept it inside me all this time, but I can't force it down any longer. I love you, Corn. I love everything about you. You make me happy like no one else does. I don't care anymore that you might reject me. Maybe I deserve it. I just can't live with this secret anymore. I love you so much."

Corn's eyes never drifted away during her entire emotional confession. Once she could say no more and was reduced to sobbing, he finally spoke up.

"You know, after what you did to me, I still wanted to be friends with you."

"W-Why?" she asked him in between whimpers. "That was the only thing that gave me hope that I hadn't lost you forever."

Corn lifted his legs back onto the roof and sat cross-legged facing towards her. "The Love Shockers still had a hold on you," he said. "I was just waiting for the day that you'd break free from them. I knew it would take time for you to work up the strength to do it, but I was willing to wait. For you."

Gum began to wipe her tears away. "You waited for me?"

Corn nodded. "Whenever the opportunity arose, I challenged you to confront the Love Shockers on your own. Most of the time you just came back feeling depressed, but I never gave up. You never gave up either, I think because deep down you wanted to conquer your inner demons, too. And now that you have, we can finally begin again."

"Begin what again?"

Corn reached for her hand and gripped it softly, a gentle smile forming on his face. "I never stopped having feelings for you either, Gum. I want to be with you again."

Gum was speechless. Corn said the words that she always wanted him to say. A wave of relief washed over her and took away the emotional burden she had been carrying for so long. Before she could say anything, Corn began to lean into her. She knew what was coming and eagerly closed her eyes. Corn placed his hand on the side of her face and their lips locked. They held the kiss for just a moment, but they both treasured every second of it. Once their lips parted, they stared into each other's eyes. Gum's eyes were now dry, but she was still filled with so many emotions that she tried to articulate.

"Corn, I… I'm just so—"

Corn put his index finger over her lips. "I know what you're feeling, Gum. You don't have to say a word. Let's just enjoy this view together."

He smiled and resumed watching the sun fall below the horizon. Gum still had so much that she wanted to say to him, but for now she was content with enjoying the moment in silence. The two sat and stared at the golden sky, smiles on both their faces. Gum shifted closer to Corn and rested her head on his shoulder. He pulled her in even closer by wrapping his arm around her waist. That simple embrace signified the mending of their relationship. In that moment, Corn said something that perfectly encapsulated what they were both thinking.

"It really is a beautiful sunset."

Now, a new chapter in their lives could begin.

 ** _~The End~_**

* * *

 _Thank you for reading Architects of the Rebellion. I hope you enjoyed it. All reviews and comments are appreciated._


End file.
